


Like Sunlight Burning At Midnight

by Midnight_Mistress, Shingeki_no_erens_butt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Asshole Grisha Yeager, Badass Mikasa Ackerman, Blow Jobs, F/F, French-Speaking Jean Kirstein, French-Speaking Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), German-Speaking Eren Yeager, Hand Jobs, Japanese-Speaking Mikasa Ackerman, Jean Kirstein Being An Asshole, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Being An Asshole, M/M, Marco is a Sweetheart, Minor Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Nerd Armin Arlert, One-Sided Eren Yeager/Armin Arlert, POV Third Person, Past Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein, Past Levi/Petra Ral, Sexual Content, Swedish-Speaking Armin Arlert, Sweet Eren Yeager, Titan-Haired Eren Yeager, mentions Jean Kirstein/Marco Bott
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-05-22 13:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6080529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Mistress/pseuds/Midnight_Mistress, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shingeki_no_erens_butt/pseuds/Shingeki_no_erens_butt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren, Mikasa and Armin are adopted by Dot Pixis, the owner of the multi-billion successful company, Trost. But at one request. When they turn 21 they have to work in Trost as assistants to the CEO's. But what happens when things take a turn and Eren begins to have feelings for his boss?<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Eren**

"What?!" Eren, Armin, and Mikasa all yelled in unison.

"You heard me the first time. I want you guys to be working, not screwing off all day while I’m gone." Pixis chided. Eren let out a frustrated groan.

"But we have each other to entertain ourselves! We won't be bored, Grandpa!" Eren whined. He really didn't like the sound of being some rich guy's assistant. 

"Eren, I have security cameras all around the building. You have done nothing productive in weeks. You’re always on your phones or computers. Can you guys, at least, give it a chance? You might like it. And, if you really do get tired of it, you'll be switching bosses every week, so you might like the next one better." Pixis sighed.

"But Grandpa-" Eren started to argue but was cut off when Armin tugged on his sleeve and dragged him out of Pixis' office, Mikasa following them closely behind. 

"Eren! What are you doing!" Armin exclaimed.

"I will _not_ be some snobby, rich guy’s assistant!”

"Think about all that Grandpa has done for us! Is it really so terrible that we become assistants for a while?" Armin furrowed his eyebrows. Eren sighed.

"Mika, what do you think?" Eren asked, Mikasa turning to him at the sound of her nickname.

"Eren, Armin does have a point. Grandpa has done so much for us. Taking us in and providing for us. He didn’t have to do that you know. This could be our way of paying our gratitude." She reasoned.

Eren sighed and nodded. He knew Armin always wanted to work with Grandpa at Trost Inc. He couldn't break Armin's dream like that. 

"I guess if it's just for a short -"

Armin tackled Eren to the ground, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Eren laughed and wrapped his arms around Armin's waist.  

"Let's go tell Grandpa." He threw an arm over Armin and Mikasa's shoulders and walked through the door. He knew he was going to regret this but it wasn't for his sake, it was for Grandpa and Armin's. 

"Well?" 

"We’ll give it a shot, Grandpa," Mikasa said blandly. Pixis grinned widely and nodded. 

"Wonderful! You’ll start three days from now. Thank you guys so much." 

Eren sighed, hanging his head. He imagined what he gets to look forward to now. Yep, he was definitely going to regret agreeing to this.

* * *

Back at home, only been three hours had passed and Eren was already bored. God, he hated being bored. But at least, it gave him time to think. Eren really disliked the idea of having to work under some pretentious snob of a businessman, who wears only designer suits and drinks only the finest Arabian coffee. Or so he likes to imagine them. But he has to admit that it’s could be a really good opportunity for him.

He’d get a good paycheck, and be able to be at least somewhat productive with his time. And if he’s lucky, they’ll keep him busy enough for the time to pass quickly. And who knows? Maybe he’ll like it.

Or so he hopes.


	2. Day 1

**Levi**

Levi angrily grunted at the people staring at him as we walked by. Goddamn, annoying people.

"Get back to work!" His authoritative tone of voice kicked in. Everyone scattered and he growled. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes yet and he was already pissed off. How annoying. 

"Someone get me a fucking coffee. Black and no sugar!" He demanded angrily. A frightened blonde girl ran to the break room. 

Levi _really_  needed an assistant. He walked into his office, taking a seat in his chair. He lifted his legs up onto the desk and crossed them. He really didn't like anyone here. The phone beeped and he sighed, picking it up. 

"Hello?"

_“Levi, could you come to my office, please?”_ Pixis' voice rang through the other line.

"This better be important," He mumbled. 

_“Don’t worry, it is.”_ Levi sighed and got up. 

He walked out and noticed the girl he had frightened earlier working at the front desk. He walked over to her and gave her a harsh glare. 

"Where the hell is my coffee?" The girl ran to the break room and quickly came back, now holding a cup. 

"I-I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to it's just I-"

"I couldn't care less. Get back to work." She nodded and walked to her desk. 

As he strode towards the elevator, he noticed a dark haired girl stepping in, the door closing behind her

“Hold the door," He ordered. She shot her hand out and held the door open. Levi stepped in beside her.

"Top floor." He said before noticing that it was already set to go there. The two stood in silence as the elevator took them up. A ding alerted their arrival, and Levi stepped out, the girl following behind. 

He began to walk towards Pixis' office and noticed Erwin and Hanji standing there just inside the office. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl from the elevator, who was still behind him.

"Why is Shitty Glasses and Eyebrows here?" 

"I'll explain everything in a minute, Levi. Mikasa, where are Armin and Eren?" Pixis replies.

"They woke up late, they're coming right now." The dark haired girl, now named Mikasa, answered.

"All right. We need to wait for them and then I'll explain everything." 

"Oh my god! She is so pretty." Hanji cooed not-so-silently.

The girl raised an eyebrow and extended her hand to shake. "Hello, I'm Mikasa." 

"I'm Hanji!" She suddenly hugged the girl, Mikasa awkwardly patting her back.

Then the door burst open, revealing two males of similar age. A blonde, with shoulder length hair and blue eyes, wearing a red t-shirt with dark blue skinny jeans and original white and black Adidas. But it was the other boy that really stood out to Levi. Messy chestnut brown hair fell lightly over tan cheekbones. His eyes were like emeralds, vibrant and shimmering in the artificial lighting. He was wearing a dark green t-shirt that brought out his gorgeous eyes even more, and black ripped jeans with old sneakers. 

"I'm so sorry Grandpa! I didn't mean to be late. Eren didn't set the alarm and Mikasa didn't wake us up and-" The blonde explained. Pixis raised his hand. 

"Armin, it's okay, just be more punctual next time. I would like to introduce you to the CEO's of Trost. Hanji Zoe, Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman." Pixis gestured to the group with his hand. Hanji stepped forward first, eyes full of excitement.

"Oh my god! He such a gentlemen! And such pretty blue eyes! Oh, and the brunette is one hell of a cutie too!"

"Hanji, I think you're scaring them," Erwin stated. Levi chuckled a little. 

"Levi, Erwin, Hanji, these are my grandchildren. The three of them are going to be working here, and since you all needed assistants, I thought it would be a good idea to let them try their hand at assisting you.” Pixis said, nearly being interrupted by Hanji’s squealing as she pulled Armin to her chest.

"I want him!" 

"But I forgot to mention that you'll be switching assistants every week." Hanji frowned at that.

"But sir, he's so cute! Can’t I have him the entire time, please?”

"Fine, if you want him that badly, Armin will be your assistant. Levi, your assistant is Mikasa and Erwin, yours is Eren."

Levi frowned. For some odd reason, he felt disappointment. He wanted Emerald Eyes to be his assistant. But why?

"Let's get going." He hoped that this girl wouldn't be a pain. 

* * *

 

"Oi, get me a coffee," Levi demanded.

"Alright, sir." She muttered. As she walked out went, he noticed Emerald Eyes walking past her with a bunch of papers cradled in his arms. He gave her a grin and Levi couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. He wanted that smile to be directed towards him. _That beautiful smile_

Why did he feel so jealous? He continued to stare at Emerald Eyes through the glass door. Despite admiring his beautiful face, Levi couldn’t help but hate his attire. It was god-awful, really.

"Oi! Brat with the green eyes." Eren turned to him and raised an eyebrow. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"Follow me."

"Sir, why-"

"Shut up and follow me." 

He followed Levi to the employee lounge and watched on in curiosity as the shorter man picked out [ clothes ](https://www.google.com/search?q=mens+casual+work+clothes&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1366&bih=702&tbm=isch&imgil=ReekPv6XQV9fEM%253A%253BALXeKgDkNtzppM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fmyfashiony.com%25252Fmens-business-casual-attire-2015-2016%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=ReekPv6XQV9fEM%253A%252CALXeKgDkNtzppM%252C_&usg=__ZyyPKDbzxIphufysDhSqjF6aJqo%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjs2bvwsYzLAhWG4iYKHbBVD_cQyjcIKQ&ei=nYfLVqyXDobFmwGwq724Dw#imgrc=tqsJDMRMnM_mJM%3A) for hum. Levi handed them to Eren after finding a suitable ensemble.

"Here." Levi said. Eren gave him a puzzled look.

"Sir-"

"Look, this is a big, important company. We need to look good, and what we don’t need is a brat who looks like he hasn’t dressed himself since he was seven." Levi insulted mildly. Eren dropped his head down and nodded. Levi could have sworn he saw a flash of hurt in the boys eyes.

Levi felt guilty. Why should he feel guilty? It's just like every other person he's rude to. Why is this boy any different? He sighed and made his way back to his office and drank his coffee on his desk in one go.

This was going to be a _long_ day. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Eren**

Despite his earlier hopes, he really hated his job. He hated being someone's assistant, catering to their every need, and completing mundane tasks that seem to _slow down_ time, if that’s at all possible. He let out an irritable groan, as he sat back down at his desk and looked out the window.

He didn't mind Erwin. Not at all actually. He was sweet and fair, sending Eren to bring him coffee or deliver papers to people, shit like that. Sometimes, Erwin would buy him a coffee first thing in the morning, which was greatly appreciated.

Sure, Erwin was attractive and intelligent, the kind of man someone could easily fall for, but he just couldn’t see Erwin that way. He let his mind drift to Levi instead.

That man, on the other hand… Eren found that it was hard to keep his mind off him. He was very good looking, his appearance more suited to that of a model, not a CEO. He couldn't deny that fact.

Eren sighed and got up to use the bathroom. The journey there was short since the bathroom was just down the hall. But upon arrival, Eren could hear the faint sound of crying. He raised an eyebrow. That sounded a lot like Armin. 

His steps quickened as he pushed his way through the heavy door. He looked around momentarily before spotting Armin sobbing in the corner. Eren’s eyes widened as he ran towards Armin's side. 

"Armin! What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?" He kneeled down next to him, gently rubbing his back.

"J-J-Jean, h-he works here." Eren feels his heart drop at the sound of that name on his best friend's lips. His chest filled with anger as he tightened his hands into fists at his side.

Eren stormed out of the room. He needed to calm down before things got bad. But as he walked all over the building, looking for that horse-faced bastard, he found it did little to calm him down. After not finding any trace of the asshole, he walked into an empty room and punched the wall. 

"Fuck!" 

"Eren..." He turned to see Armin standing at the door. His eyes were red. Clearly he had been crying. Eren’s voice cracked as he spoke.

"I'm sorry Armin, I didn't mean to leave you like that. " 

"Eren it's-"

"Where is he? I want to beat his face in-"

"Eren!"

"Armin, no! He hurt you! He cheated on you with Marco! Have you really forgotten that? It took you a long time to move on and now you have to put up with him here? It’s bullshit." 

"I know, but I really have moved on! I'm happy.” Armin claimed, eyebrows furrowed.

“Then why were you sobbing in the bathroom?” Eren asks, unconvinced.

“Don’t worry about it. I promise, I’m okay. Just please don't do anything that will upset Grandpa, please?" Armin pleaded.

"No, you were crying for a reason. I want to know why." Eren stayed stubborn. “Tell me Armin, or I swear to god I'll…” Eren said, angrily before being shocked into silence at the feeling of soft lips against his. He pulled away quickly, confused and mildly irritated.

“Wait..?”

"I love you Eren, please. Let it go."

He stared into Armin's ocean blue eyes. 

_Did Armin just...kiss me?_

"Armin, why-"

"Eren. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I-"

Eren sighed and held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it, right?... it’s… it’s okay. Armin.” Eren said, no longer looking him in the eye.

"Let's go find horse-face." Eren said, changing topic. Armin rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"It's like talking to a brick wall with you." 

"Yep. You know me so well.” Eren said, walking back to his area with Armin at his side.

**Mikasa**

Mikasa walked by the employee lounge and turned to see Armin and Eren kissing. Mikasa felt her heart stop. 

_Eren...and Armin...?_

Were they dating? How long? If not, then why did they kiss? She had so many questions and she’ll be sure to get to the bottom of each one.

Seriously...were they dating?

 _Focus Mikasa!_ She mentally chided herself., shaking her head. She didn't even notice when she bumped into a blonde girl. 

"Watch where you're going." Mikasa muttered. 

The blonde chick glared at her. "Why don't you watch where you going."

Mikasa took a good look at the girl and damn, was she attractive. The blonde girl sneered and walked away. She watched the blonde turn down the hallway and Mikasa scoffed. Icey bitch.

"Hi!" She turned back around to see a dark red haired girl smiling brightly at her. Where are they all coming from?

"Um..hi."

"I'm Sasha, are you new here?" Mikasa nodded.

"I'm Mikasa." She gave her a small smile. 

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Yeah, actually. I need help finding the printer. Can you-?"

"Say no more, follow me!" Mikasa nodded and followed the bright girl. 

Maybe this wasn't so bad.  _Maybe._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is by Shingeki_no_erens_butt I think she did an amazing job and we really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Eren**

It had been a week since he started this job, and he’d just started to get used to it. He knew, by now, the unwritten schedule of the office. Coffee run at nine o’clock and one o’clock, deliver Erwin his papers at nine thirty, take them to the fax room at two o’clock, and so on.

And next week everything would change. He’d be Levi’s assistant then. Eren tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach to the best of his ability, but his will can only do so much.

The man was an enigma to him, honestly. He was peculiar in a way, Eren had observed. But it's not like he was actively spying on him or anything. Okay, yeah. Maybe he was.

Whatever

The man was meticulous and exact. Everything had to be perfect and god forbid anyone to make a mistake with him around.

Eren had seen it, the verbal whiplashing Levi gave to the people who displeased him. Which he supposed, just fueled to his anxiety about working under Levi. What would happen if _he_ made a mistake? Hopefully, Levi would make it quick and painless.

But he wouldn’t have to worry about that until Monday. Today was his day off, and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

Eren threw the last bite of his toast into his mouth and washed it down with his now room temperature coffee. He’d slept in more than he thought he would, the sun high in the sky, shining down brightly.

It was almost noon, so grandfather was already at work. Mikasa was gone too, having told Eren with a note by the toaster that she’d gone to meet up with someone named Sasha. Eren may have heard the name a few times, but he couldn’t place the face. He had no idea where Armin was, though.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, looking through his contacts. Right at the top was Armin. Eren clicked on his face to pull up his info. His thumb hovered over the green button for a moment, debating if he really wanted to push it or not.

Things were… strange, between himself and Armin after his friend had kissed him. Sure, he loved Armin with all his heart. He was his best friend and Eren would do anything for him. But Eren just didn’t know if he could think about Armin like that.

As much as he hated to admit it, the kiss had felt wrong. It was foreign and filled his stomach with dread. But how could Eren tell him that? He didn’t want to hurt Armin. That’s the last thing he wanted.

Eren shook his head, deciding to put the issue on the back burner for now. With a sigh, he pressed his finger to the call button and brought the phone up to his ear. It rang twice before the blonde answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ar. Where are you?”

“At work. You caught me right on my break. Grandpa’s assistant called in sick so I came in to take her place for the day. Why? What’s up?” Armin said, sounding slightly out of breath.

“Nothing. I was just wondering where you were. Have a good day, okay?” Eren replied. Armin said goodbye and hung up.

Eren felt bad for some reason like he was missing something. He couldn’t think of what it could be, though.

He ran a hand over his face, knowing today was going to be boring and lonely. Nearly everyone he knew was busy, and Eren had never been good at preoccupying his time on his own.

He decided a shower sounded like a good idea, so he headed upstairs to the bathroom. He stripped his sleep clothes off and turned the water into the hottest setting he could handle.

Eren closed his eyes as the hot water ran over his shoulders, softening the few knots that had formed in his muscles. He let his mind clear. The hot water honestly felt amazing. He let out a content hum as he scrubbed himself down with a soapy loofah. His hair came next, and once he was happily sated, he rinsed himself off and turned off the water.

Eren made his way to his room, searching through his messy closet for something to wear. He came upon the dark green shirt he’d worn on his first day but threw it aside with a sneer. It was pretty stretched and worn out.

Totally had nothing to do with Levi disliking it so much. Nope, none whatsoever.

Instead, he chose a light blue flannel and his only pair of black jeans without any holes in them. He slipped his vans on and threw a grey knit beanie over his head, before leaving the house.

Honestly, he had no clue where he was going. Maybe he’d just wander around a bit, get some coffee or something. Anything was better than just sitting around being a lump.

Eren didn’t have a car yet. He had a license, just hasn’t had the time or money to go car shopping. So he was stuck riding the bus or walking. Luckily, he lived close enough to the city’s center that he didn’t have to walk long.

Soon, he was walking past department stores and cafés and other little restaurants, a crowd of people around him. The air was filled with the sound of chatting, and the clicking of heels on the sidewalk. Eren found it easy to keep his mind off of bothersome topics, as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun radiating down on his back.

A rich smell of coffee entered the air as he turned the corner. After all the coffee he’d been drinking in the office, he’d developed a bit of an addiction. The smell leads him straight to the front door of a coffee shop. It looked busy, but Eren had the time.

The smell inside was divine. Eren sniffed the air blissfully. He looked over the menu, seeing what looked good. He decided on an iced coffee since it was warm out.

The coffee shop was bustling with customers, so the line was fairly long. Luckily, though, the line moved fast, and soon Eren was up to order. Soon, Eren had his drink in hand and was making to leave. But a head of silky black hair caught his attention.

Levi stepped into the coffee shop, his suit jacket draped over his shoulders. He made a face at the amount of people occupying the tiny shop.

Suddenly, as if by magic, his eyes found Eren’s almost instantly. Eren felt his heart speed up at the man’s steely gaze.

“Brat.” Levi greeted monotonously.

“Ah, hello Sir! What are you going here?” Eren replied, internally yelling at himself for asking such a dumb question. Levi snorted.

“Getting coffee. What else would I be doing in a coffee shop? Doing my taxes?” Levi says sarcastically.

“Oh, right. Of course Sir.”

“Yes, now if I could, I’d like to do what I came here for. I’ll see you Monday, Eren.”

Eren nodded and left, a light blush on his face. He felt Monday would be an interesting day.  


	5. Chapter 5

**Armin**

As he got up from his bed, he took in a heavy sigh and stared out the window. _How could I be so stupid?_ Armin internally yelled at himself. How could he just do that to Eren? This whole week, he and Eren had been avoiding each other and it was all because of that stupid kiss.

Why had he kiss Eren again? Oh right, because he has a big ass crush on him, and for a long time too.

He couldn’t help it, Eren had the kindest smile that would always make his heart race, and the most beautiful green eyes. And his laugh was more beautiful than any instrument.

_God, I love him._

Armin loved Eren like a best friend, like someone he couldn’t live without, but it quickly grew to be more than that. He loved him so much it hurt. Ever since he and Jean had broken up, it was always Eren that was there when he really needed it.

Why was it so hard to confront him about it? He sighed and went to the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He knew he’d have to figure something out, and soon.

As he got out, he willed his mind to change the topic. He actually looked forward to work today. As spastic as Hanji was, she was fun to be around. He quite liked her energy. Armin grabbed his phone to check the time and stopped to smile at his wallpaper. He will remember that moment for the rest of his life.

The picture was taken years ago when they were 13. Mikasa had taken the picture. It was of the day they had first met. The day Armin finally had the courage to say hello, and Eren finally acknowledged him. Armin felt tears forming in his eyes and quickly wiped them away with the back of his sleeve.

Armin put the phone in his pocket and sighed. He turned to look at Eren, who was still sleeping and grabbed a pillow to hit Eren with. Startled, Eren screamed as he fell off the bed.

"Armin!" He yelled. Armin laughed and shrugged innocently.

"If you’re going to be working under Levi, it would be wise to not be late. Go get dressed and we can go in your car." Eren’s eyes widened at the realization and he jumped up to go use the bathroom.

Armin grabbed a [ grey shirt ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=192476650)  and some dark grey jeans. A grey beanie finished the look. He didn’t usually wear grey but he figured now would be a good time as any. He grabbed his necklace and bracelet on the shelf and slipped on his shoes.

"Eren, let’s go! Are you driving or am I?" Armin's voice echoed through the room.

"No way am I letting you behind the wheel of my baby! I’m driving!" He yelled from the bathroom.

Armin snorts.

“I’m a better driver than you, Eren.”

“I don’t care! No means no, Ar!” Eren argued as Armin chuckled.

As Eren came out, Armin held his breath. Eren looked so good in [ black ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=192476674). He was wearing Armin's beanie and the necklace Armin bought him for his 19th birthday. Armin's heart warmed.

"Alright! Let's go." Eren took the key from Armin and walked towards the door. Eren turned back around at the sound of [heels](http://www.polyvore.com/mikasas_clothes/set?id=192477393) clicking on the floor. Mikasa was striding up to the two of them.

"Oh, hey Mikasa-" Armin said.

She punched both Eren and Armin in the arm and they both winced. She glared at them.

"Mika, what-?"

"Don't 'Mika' me. Are you guys dating?" Armin's eyes widened.

_Did she see the kiss?_

"What are-?" She punched Eren in the arm again and he winced.

"Don't give me that 'What are you talking about' crap. I saw you guys kissing." Eren sighed and as he opened his mouth to explain, Armin interrupted.

"I kissed Eren because it was the only way to calm him down." Mikasa walked towards him and searched his eyes for any traces of lies but found none. It was partially true, at least.

She sighed. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"It just happened the other day, it wasn't really that big of a deal." Mikasa nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose. She turned to both Eren and Armin.

"Just please tell me if anything like that happens, okay? I thought we were open with each other about everything."

"We are. We were going to tell you." Armin reassured. Mikasa nodded again.

"Okay. Think you guys could give me a ride? I can't seem to find my car keys."

"Of course." They walked to the car and headed off to work.

**Eren**

As Eren walked towards the car, he noticed that the awkwardness between him and Armin had completely disappeared. He stopped at a red light and turned to Armin. He never really thought about how it much it must have been effecting Armin.

“Hey, Armin?” Armin turned to Eren.

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry.” Armin raised an eyebrow.

“For what?”

“For ignoring you, avoiding you and not understanding,” Eren said, apologetically. Armin gave him a warm smile.

“Actually Eren, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. Or not tell you why I did it.” Eren smiled back at Armin until he got smacked in the arm by Mikasa.

“Ow-”

“Pay attention to the road! It’s a green light!”

“Dictator.” He mumbled under his breath and Armin laughed.

“What?” Mikasa questioned.

“Nothing.” He chimed.

For the first time in a week, it wasn’t awkward. Things had gone back to the way they were supposed to be.

As the trio stepped out of the car, Eren felt his gut tighten, anxious. He didn’t know what kind of boss Levi would be.

“Don’t worry, it’s really not that bad being his assistant. Just don’t mix up papers. He chewed Sasha out for that last week. Just do as you’re told and you’ll be on Levi’s good side.” Mikasa explained.

Eren smiled. Times like these made him realize how lucky he was to have a sister like Mikasa.

“Thanks, Mika.”

“Anytime.”

As Eren walked towards the elevator, he glanced at the clock and noticed he was 15 minutes early for work. When he made it to Levi’s office, he found that all the lights were off.

 _He must not be here yet._ He thought to himself. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to get himself a cup of coffee, and walked towards the employee lounge. He grabbed a cup and poured himself a cup of the black liquid. A splash of cream and a generous scoop of sugar followed.

“Oi, Brat. Do you really have to kill your coffee with that much sugar?” Eren let out a soft yip, startled and turned to see a smirking Levi. Was it just today or did Levi always look this good in a [ suit? ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=192503443) He felt his heart speed up and a blush crept up onto his face

“I-I always add this much sugar, Sir.” Levi rolled his eyes.

“Typical of brats. Get me a coffee. I’ll be in my office.”

Eren did what he was told.

Despite his earlier discontent, Eren found that assisting Levi wasn’t all that different from assisting Erwin. The whole day had just been running around getting Levi coffee, delivering various documents to people and printing papers for him. It really wasn’t that hard.

“Oi, send these papers to the receptionist downstairs. Tell her to transfer it to the computer.” Eren nodded and walked over to the elevator, then pressed the third floor’s button and waited. Some obnoxiously cheerful music played. God, he really hated elevator music. As he walked towards the reception desk, he noticed a very familiar blonde.

“Krista?” Eren called hopefully. She looked up to see Eren and her eyes widened.

“Eren? Is that really you?” She smiled and ran to hug Eren. “I haven’t seen you since high school!” Eren smiled back.

“You look so beautiful!” Eren said, looking her up and [ down ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=192504447). She blushed brightly.

“Thank you! You look quite wonderful yourself!” Eren found himself also blushing at the compliment. He scratched the back of his neck and smiled.

“So, how’s Ymir doing?” Krista’s gaze dropped.

“W-we broke up,” She said, fiddling with the hem of her dress His eyes widened and he pulled her into a hug.

“I’m s-” He began, but she held up a finger.

“Stop. Don’t apologize Eren, it’s not your fault. We’d been fighting a lot and she would go out to bars with her friends leave me alone in the house. So after one huge fight we got into, I broke up with her.” She pulled away from Eren and gave him a reassuring smile.

“How long ago was that?”

“2 months ago.”

“Oh. Are you doing ok?”

“Yes...I mean no… I don’t know. I miss her terribly but maybe it’s for the best. Maybe we need to be away from each other for a while to clear both of our minds.”

“I hope everything works out for you, Krista.”

“Thanks, Eren.”

Eren then remembered the whole reason he came down here. “Oh, Krista! Levi asked me to have you transfer these documents to the computer.” Eren said, holding up the stack. Krista smiled and took the papers from Eren.

“Thanks, I’ll get right on that. Think we could catch up more during lunch?” Krista requested, glancing through the papers. Eren smiled.

“Definitely.”

“Great! I’ll see you at lunch then, Eren!” Krista waved as Eren turned to leave, waving back at her.

As he returned to Levi’s office, he noticed the man rubbing his temple. With an idea fresh in his mind, Eren headed over to the break room. He pulled a small bottle from the cabinet and dropped two Tylenol pills into his hand. He then pulled a paper cup from the stack and filled it with water. Eren made his way back to Levi’s office and announced his presence with a soft tap on the wooden door. As he entered the room, he was met with a glare.

“What is it brat?” Levi muttered, squinting up at him.

Eren felt his face heat up as he felt Levi’s gaze on him. He tried to ignore the look and handed him the Tylenol and water.

“How-?”

“You seem to be stressed out and you keep rubbing your temple. I just figured that you had a headache.” Levi nodded and took the pills.

As Eren turned to leave, he heard Levi speak up.

“Hey, Brat...”

“Hm?” When Eren looked back at the man, he noticed that the glare was gone, now replaced with something oddly endearing.

“Thanks,” He mumbled. Eren’s lips parted in shock, his heart pounding in his chest. Eren could feel the blush warming his face. He nodded and quickly ran out of the room, moving back to his desk. He couldn’t get his heart to stop beating so heavily, and he found himself grinning like an idiot. This day was starting out great.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shingeki_no_erens_butt wrote this chapter. I think she did really well. *Hugs her tight to the point where she can't breathe* She is such an amazing person!

**Armin**

The sharp ringing of his alarm clock pulled Armin from his slumber. He smacked at it blindly with his hand, the rest of him still buried under the covers of his soft blue duvet. Armin grumbled  irritably as the clock fell from his night stand with a loud thump. With a stretch, Armin sat up slowly. He rubbed the sleep from eyes and sighed, kicking the blanket from his legs. A hot shower sounded wonderful to Armin right now.

Armin ambled his way to the bathroom and pulled off sleep shorts and boxers, then jumped into the shower. After he was done, he got himself [dressed](http://www.polyvore.com/armins_clothes/set?id=193323671) and headed downstairs to grab a bite to eat before heading out.

Eren surprisingly was already up and moving around. The smell of slightly burnt toast wafted through the kitchen as Eren cursed loudly, having burned his fingers retrieving said toast from the toaster. Armin rolled his eyes. _This is the third time this week, and it’s only Tuesday!_

By seven forty-five, the trio was on the road to be there by eight. They said their goodbyes for the day and parted ways. Eren headed up to Levi’s office, Mikasa to Erwin’s and Armin began his search for Hanji, since she could never stay in one place for long. After no such luck, Armin decided to ask Grandfather.

A soft knock announced his presence, and then Armin stepped in to see Grandpa working diligently at his desk.

“Do you know where Hanji is? I can’t find her anywhere.” He asked, gaining the older man’s attention.

“Why are you looking for Hanji? You’re with Erwin. _”_ Grandpa softly smiles.

“What? I thought I was with Hanji for the entire duration of this job. Not that I’m complaining or anything.” The last part was said more quietly.

“I convinced Hanji to let you change. Figured it would be good for you to get some variety in. Is that alright?” He nodded.

“Oh, umm…. Yeah, that’s fine. I look forward to it!” Armin grinned.

“Good. Now off you go. I have work to do. Love you my boy.”

"I love you too. Bye Grandpa." 

Armin was quite nervous as he made his way up to Erwin’s office. Though he couldn’t think of why. Armin held a lot of respect for the man.

“Good morning!” The receptionist cheered as Armin exited the elevator.

Armin gave her a polite smile and headed towards the boss’s office. He knocked lightly on the door before being invited in by a deep voice.

“Good morning, Sir!” Armin greeted. Erwin offered a charming smile. Kinda like a Captain America smile. He loved it. 

“Ah, hello, Armin. How’s your morning going?” Erwin asked, gaze intense. He took a look at Erwin's [clothing](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193317148) and it took his breath away. Erwin was beyond attractive. 

“Oh, wonderfully Sir. Yours?”

“Likewise, though I could use some coffee.” The man hinted lips turned up slightly.

“Of course! How do you take it?” Armin crossed his hands.

“Black, please.”

“I’ll be just a moment!”

Erwin offered his thanks, and Armin ran off to the break room, hastily preparing a cup of coffee for the man.

When he returned, Erwin’s attention was directed back to his work so Armin quietly placed the cup on Erwin’s desk.

The morning was fairly slow, and the afternoon seemed to be following suit. Around one, however, Erwin asked Armin to deliver a stack of papers to Financial Management to be processed and imputed into the computers.

After what seemed like only a half an hour, one of the employees from management came rushing through the halls in search of Erwin. Armin caught her attention.

“What’s going on?” He asked, worried.

“There’s something going on with the computers, it’s messed all of the documents up! We cannot lose those documents!” She cried. She looked to be on the verge of tears.

“Oh, that’s terrible! Could I possibly take a look? I know quite a bit about computers.” Armin suggested.

“I suppose so, what harm could that do? I’m getting Erwin anyway, though. Just to be safe.” She looked around the office, looking for the door with Smith’s name on it. But Armin didn’t stay to see if she’d found it yet, he was already halfway to management.

He saw a bunch of people typing furiously at their computers and quickly found the empty spot where the girl must have been seated.

Armin plopped down into the rolling chair and looked around the screen, which was completely filled with dashes and lines. The patterns made no sense, and Armin felt nervous.

He clicked to open the scripts, looking over the various codes and commands. The first thing that stood out to him was a barely noticeable break in a line, almost as if something was taken out. The lines were out of order and jumbled. No wonder the computers weren’t working.

But one thing bothered Armin. These commands were foreign. A virus. And just based off the amount of damage done, a strong one. How it got there, Armin had no clue. Those computers had the most secure firewalls and anti-virus software in the city. They had to for something so important.

Armin had been so focused on examining the code that he didn’t even notice the people standing next to him. Two of which was Erwin, and the girl he’d talked to.

“It’s a virus, Sir. I think I might be able to crack it, but it might take a while.” Armin informed him.

“A virus? How?” Erwin led in slightly to examine the script. Armin felt lightheaded at the intoxicating smell of the man’s cologne.

“I’m not completely sure. It surprised me too.” Armin frowned.

Then Armin got to work. He was extremely thorough, not leaving even a block of text unfiltered through. It felt like twelve hours had passed, but soon Armin found the contaminated files and isolated them. Piece by piece, he removed the virus and commenced a system cleanse just to be sure.

“I think that’s it,” Armin said, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He startles slightly when the people behind him cheer.

“You did it, Armin! You’re a lifesaver.” The girl cheered.

Armin received a few pats on the back, and a handful of praises before heading back to his own area. His face was bright red and he felt giddy. But then he realized something. Erwin hadn’t been in that group when he had finished fixing the computers. Armin felt a little disappointed if he was being honest. He kinda wanted to impress the man.

When Armin walked by Erwin’s office, he glanced in. The man was at his desk, working.

Armin sighed.

He jumped slightly when his name was suddenly being called.

“Armin! Can you come here, please?” Erwin called.

Armin quickly walked into his superior’s office. “Yes, Sir?”

“Sit.” Armin did as he was told.

“That was a very impressive display back there with the virus problem. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said you’d been working with computers for a long time.” Erwin began. Armin felt a little surprised. He hadn’t been expecting this.  

“Things like that rarely happen here, so we don’t usually have specialists in to deal with issues like that. This was completely out of the blue. You prevented what could have been a serious crisis.”

“I..I…was just doing what I could to help… Sir.” Armin blushed at the praises he received from Erwin. They meant a lot.

“You did well, Armin. Thank you.” Erwin gave him a soft smile, and Armin felt his heart speed up.


	7. Chapter 7

**Eren**

_ Beep beep beep beep. _

Deep in sleep, Eren could vaguely hear his alarm go off. It started off like a single bee, happily buzzing around Eren’s head and grew into an angry swarm, loud and annoying. Eren jerked up, trying to get away from the noise and the possible promise of a thousand bee stings and ended up falling out of bed. He groaned in frustration. 

He realized a moment later that the sound wasn’t a swarm of bees wanting to peel his flesh from his body, but his alarm clock. He sat up and glared at the offending device.

_ Shut up you stupid alarm!  _ He thought with a frown.

Eren sighed and turned off his alarm. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against his messy bed. He was really tired.

He’d nearly fallen back asleep when his phone began to ring.  _ Why does the world hate me? _

“Hello?”

_ “EREN! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP! YOUR SHIFT STARTS IN TEN MINUTES!”  _ He heard Mikasa’s voice ring through his phone.

Work starts in ten minutes. _  10 minutes. _  His green eyes widened.

“OH SHIT!” He yelled, jumping up and rushing around his room.

“Armin! Why didn’t-” He stopped when he realized that Armin was nowhere to be found. 

_ Dammit, Armin!  _

He grabbed a pair of black jeans from his dresser and threw on a green button-up  [ shirt ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193329769) . He picked up Armin’s beanie from the ground and his bracelet from the drawer and up them on. He then slipped his key necklace over his head and ran to the bathroom.

Eren brushed his teeth as quickly as he could and ran to his dresser to grab a pair of socks. He chose a pair of black sneakers from his closet and pulled them on.

Taking the stairs two by two, he headed downstairs and grabbed his keys, then bolting out the door.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!” He muttered to himself.

Levi was going to disembowel him. Or worse. He knew he should’ve listened to his stupidly loud alarm clock when it had first gone off.

_ Please God! Don’t let me die by the hands of Levi Ackerman! When I thought about his hands on me, this isn’t what I meant! I’m too young to die! _

Eren drove as fast as he could without breaking any laws. By the time he made it, he checked his phone to see he had 3 minutes to spare. He sighed in relief. Eren ran to the elevator and straight to Levi’s office.

He knocked on the door and heard a muffled “Come in.” Inside, he was met with a short, glaring man in a  [ suit ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193346261) .

“You're la-” Levi began to scold but Eren cut him off.

“I’m so sorry Sir! I didn’t mean to be late! It’s just that I’ve been feeling so tired-”

“Brat-”

“I promise it will never happen ever again!”

“Brat!-”

“And I’ll-”

“Eren!” Levi yelled. 

Eren was taken aback by his loud voice.  _ Wait, did he just use my first name?  _

“Just get me a fucking coffee.” Levi sighed. Eren nodded and walked out of the room.

He’s still alive. _  I must be dreaming.  _ Did he really just walk out without having a scratch on his body?

_ Is this some kind of prank?  _ He thought to himself. 

Eren walked over to the break room and found Armin pouring himself a cup of coffee. He noticed Armin’s clothing and… wait, are those his  [ jeans? ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193351970)

“Hey, Ar.” Eren greeted. Armin turned to see Eren and gave him a warm smile.

“Hey, Eren!” He said cheerfully.

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” Eren asked him. Armin turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“You had already turned off the alarm. I thought you were already awake. Is that my beanie and bracelet?” Armin asked, curiously. Eren sighed.

“Are those my jeans and necklace? And really? Star Wars?” Eren sassed. 

“Touché.” Armin shrugged. “And yeah! Star Wars is amazing!”

“Armin! I swear you’re such a nerd! I still can’t believe you made me watch the whole seasons of it!”

“You lost that bet! It was only fair!” Armin laughed.

“It wasn’t my fault! I couldn’t remember what happened at the end of Lord of the Rings!” Eren whined, pouting slightly.

“Well, you shouldn’t have bragged about your extensive knowledge of the series then!” Armin retorted as he laughed.

“Oh my God! You’re Satan, I swear!”

“The one and only.”

“And I thought wearing black was my thing!”

“It is but I thought I would try it. But I must say. I think I look better than you’ve ever looked in black.”

_ “Excuse me?”  _ Eren put a hand on his heart and mocked an offended look on his face. Armin threw his head back laughing.

“I’m wounded. How dare you! I’ll cut a bitch, Ar. Don’t push me!” Eren warned. Armin stuck his tongue out and Eren playfully shoved him.

“Love you, Eren,” Armin said sincerely.

“Doesn’t feel like it.” Eren scoffed, teasing. Armin laughed.

“You’re such a dick, Eren.” Armin laughed and rolled his eyes. “You’d  better get Levi his coffee before he murders you,” Armin suggested. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Eren grabbed a cup and poured some coffee into it. After he was done, he turned to Armin.

“Eren, I was thinking. That new club just opened downtown. We should totally go get wasted tonight!” Armin exclaimed. Eren raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because! It’s been 6 months since my 21 st birthday! Can we go? Please?” Armin pinned Eren with his famous puppy dog eyes and Eren sighed in annoyance.

“Ugh! Fine, just put that away! I can’t ever say no to that face.” Eren shielded his eyes with his hand. Armin squealed and hugged Eren.

“Yes!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Armin let go of Eren and ran out of the room with a smile on his face. Eren could tell he was beyond happy.

“What am I going to do with you?” He mumbled.

Eren looked down at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand and sighed. He felt jittery. He always felt this way when he was around Levi. His boss. His  _ unfairly attractive _  boss. Eren knocked on the door and heard a “Come in.”

As he walked in, he noticed Levi typing away on his computer. Eren quietly placed the cup on the desk and walked towards the door.

“Oi! Brat.” When Eren turned back around, Levi was giving him an intense look. Eren felt his face heat up and his stomach tense nervously

“Y-yes Sir?” Eren silently cursed himself for stuttering.

“Get these paper to a man named Farlan Church. His office is on the 4th floor and to the left. His name's on the door, shouldn’t be hard to find. Got it? One of the things I hate is having to repeat myself.” Levi said, eyes never leaving Eren's.

Eren nodded and took the papers from Levi’s hands. At an accidental  brush of hands, Eren felt his heart leap into his throat. 

He quickly made his way out of the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door and tried to calm his frantic heart.

Once he was calmed down and breathing normally, Eren walked into the elevator and clicked on the fourth floor. As soon as the door opened, he found himself lost. 

The layout of this floor looked completely different from his. Eren took a few steps forward before turning to see a redheaded girl smiling brightly at him.  _ Where the hell had she come from?  _ He shrieked and fell flat on his butt.

“Oh! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” The woman said, concerned. He shook his head.

“No, it’s okay.” He said. She offered her hand and he gladly accepted it as she helped him to his feet. He took note how beautiful the girl was. He also noticed her  [ shirt ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193358552)  and smiled.

“Nice shirt, I love My Chemical Romance.” He complimented her. The girl perked up.

“I love them too! I was so upset when they broke up. They were such a good band!”

“I know right!” They both smiled at each other.

“Hey, you have really pretty eyes. They’re kinda similar to mine, actually.” The girl said brightly. Eren stared into the girl’s eyes and saw emeralds. He gave her a soft smile.

“I guess they do really look similar! Anyway, um... could you tell me where Farlan Church’s office is?” She gave him a bright smile.

“Yeah! I’m his assistant! I’m Isabel by the way.”

“I’m Eren.”

The walk was short and Isabel turned to Eren and pointed to the door.

“That’s his office.” She gave Eren another warm smile.

“You seem like a really cool person, we should hang out or something sometime. I don’t have many friends, it would be nice.” Eren gave her a small knowing smile.

“Yeah! You too. Thanks for the help!”

“No problem, Eren! It was nice meeting you! I hope to see you soon!” Isabel said, starting to turn back.

“Wait, Isabel! Would you like to go drinking with my friends and I tonight? You-”

“Really? Oh yes! I’d love that!” She bounced around in excitement. “You’re the first person to ever invite me to somewhere.” 

“Really? You seem really fun to be around.” He said. She gave him a warm smile and grabbed a pen and paper from her back pocket.

“Here’s my number, message me whenever, okay?” He smiled and nodded, taking the slip of paper from her. Isabel smiled once more and walked towards the reception desk.

Eren sighed and knocked on the door. He heard a “Come in” and opened the door to see a man with dirty blonde hair and silver eyes. Eren had to appreciate his unique appearance. 

“Mr. Church?”

“Yes, and you are?”

“Hi! I’m Eren-” Eren began but got cut off by Farlan.

“Wait, are you Pixis’ Grandson?”

“Yeah, I am. I’m also Levi’s assistant. He sent me to give you these papers.” Eren handed him the packet and Farlan nodded, giving Eren a charming smile.

“Thank you,” Farlan said. Eren nodded and left.

The day consisted of Eren running around delivering papers to people, getting coffee, making calls and leaving messages. By the end of the day, Eren was exhausted. Being Levi’s assistant was a lot harder than he thought. He felt like he’d lost a good ten pounds by the end of his shift. He clocked out and grabbed his things.  

As he walked down to the lobby, he was stopped by Armin.

“Hey, Ar.”

“Hey, Eren! Can you give me a ride? Mikasa has the keys and she’s working late.”

“Of course. I want to go home to change before going out, but we need to invite Krista first. I can send her a text.” Eren said, pulling his phone out. He  _ really  _ didn’t want to have to walk all the way back up to her floor to ask in person. Armin raised an eyebrow.

“Krista? The Krista that broke up with you Senior year for Ymir?” Armin asked. Eren laughed.

“Yeah, that Krista. Don’t worry Ar, it was a mutual break-up.” Armin nodded and they walked out to Eren’s car. 

Just before Eren started the engine, he got a text back from Krista.

  * **Krista: Hey! Yeah, I’d love to go! But do you think I could get a ride? Bert was my ride but he’s working late tonight.**



Eren quickly typed up an answer. 

  * **Sure, I need to do some stuff before we go, though.**


  * **Krista: Yeah, that fine.**


  * **Armin and I are waiting out in the car, so hurry.**



While they waited, Eren dialed Mikasa number.

“Hello?”

“Hey Mika, could you be the designated driver for tonight?”

_ “Sure. I don’t really like drinking anyway. Is it alright if I bring someone?” _

“Yeah, it’s cool! I’m bringing Isabel and Krista.”

_ “Isabel? Who’s she? And Krista? The Krista that dumped you for a girl?” _

Eren rolled his eyes.

“Mika, it was a mutual break up, you know that. Her and I are friends now. And I met Isabel today. Don’t worry, you will like her!” He heard a small laugh and smiled.

_ “Alright, see you in a bit. Love you Eren.” _

“Love you too. Bye Mika.”

By the time he hung up, Krista was running to the car. She hopped into the backseat and gave a sincere thank you. 

“No problem, Krista! Ready to go?” The last part was for both of them.

“Yeah!” Armin pumped his fist enthusiastically. Krista giggled a little.

“Yeah let’s go!” She said with a grin.

Eren and Armin sang along to Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy with Krista smiling and giggling behind them. Eren stopped by the house and both Armin and him quickly changed as Krista sat on the couch.

They arrived at the Club about twenty minutes later, and Eren parked the car just a short walk from the entrance. 

They showed their ID’s to the bouncer at the door. The bouncer winked playfully at Krista and then looked back down at the ID’s. Krista shifted uncomfortably.

Eren noticed her discomfort and slipped his arm around her shoulders protectively. The bouncer immediately narrowed his eyes and sighed.

“The pretty ones are always taken,” He mumbled to himself.

They walked inside and Eren let his arm fall back to his side as they sat down at a table.

“I’ll go get us some drinks.” With that said, Armin got up from the table and headed towards the bar, leaving Eren and Krista alone.

“Krista, I know it’s not really any of my business, but are you thinking about getting back together with Ymir?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I miss her and I still do love her but she needs to prove to me that I’m worth it. You know? She’d been treating me like I didn't even exist for the last three months of our relationship. But now she’s been calling me lately and I don’t know if I’m ready to face her.”

“I understand.”

“What about you? Is there anyone you’re interested it?” She asked

Eren choked on his own spit. Krista gave him a concerned look.

“N… no. Um… not really? I don’t know. It's complicated.” Eren muttered, blushing. He nearly hugged Armin when he returned, distracting Krista from their previous conversation. 

“Here.” Armin passed a drink to Eren and Krista.

“Thank you, Armin!” Krista said with a smile.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

They’d been there for about fifteen minutes and Isabel still hadn’t shown up. Eren took out his phone and texted Isabel.

  * **Hey, are you coming tonight?**



To his surprise, she texted back fast.

  * **Isabel: Yeah! Which club are you guys at?**


  * **Club Rose.**


  * **Isabel: I’m on my way!**


  * **Okay :)**



Eren slipped his phone away and took a sip of his drink as he listened to Armin and Krista’s happy conversation. And he smiled.

“Hey Krista, do you remember when Armin forced me to eat sushi?” Eren asked, joining the conversation. Krista laughed.

“Yeah, I do remember! You threw up on the table and the Janitor got so mad at us!” Krista snorted.

“Ugh, I hate octopus.” Eren pouted. Armin laughed at the face he made.

“Come on! It wasn’t that bad!”

“Armin! Yes, it totally was! I thought I was going to die or something.”

When Eren looked towards the door, he could see Isabel walking towards them. He stood and waved at her, smiling brightly. Isabel quickly turned her eyes towards Eren and smiled back as she walked over to them.

“Hi, Eren!” She greeted.

Eren smiled and hugged her.

“Hey, Isabel!”

“Guys, this is Isabel! Isabel, these are my friends Armin and Krista.”

Krista gave a warm smile to Isabel and Armin grinned and waved.

The whole night was full of laughter and drinking. Mikasa and Sasha showed up a little bit later and introduced themselves. Soon, everyone was heavily intoxicated,  besides Sasha and Mikasa, who were the designated drivers.

The group bantered with each other, teasing light-heartedly and having a good time.

“Oh, Sasha! I love your  [ clothes ](http://www.polyvore.com/sashas_clothes/set?id=193369875) !” Krista said.

Sasha grinned and shook her head.

“If anyone has fashion sense, it’s definitely you!” She replied.

“Mikasa! Is that my  [ beanie ](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=193395976) ?” Armin asked and Mikasa smirked.

Isabel suddenly stood up and tugged at Eren’s shirt. Her legs slightly wobbly and her words were slurred.

“H-hey Eren, w-will you dance w-with me?” Isabel stuttered. Eren smiled and nodded, standing up as well.

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. They danced and laughed hysterically when the other tripped or stepped on their foot, both intoxicated by the alcohol. It was fun. 

It had been awhile since Eren loosened up and hung out with his friends. Eventually, when they were tired and needed more to drink, they both headed back to the table. 

Eren let his mind wander. First, he thought about what Krista had asked him earlier. He was ashamed to admit that the first person to come to mind when she had said that was Levi.

Eren didn’t even know if he  _ liked _ Levi like that. Sure, the man was gorgeous and the way he seemed almost docile around Eren, as compared to with others, made Eren’s heart beat frantically. But… Eren was just so confused. 

Eren always felt like he was having some sort of a stroke when he was around Levi. Which, he supposed, couldn’t be good for his health. He wondered if he should just ask to be switched, not even worry about the thing going on with his brain. 

So Eren decided to call Grandpa. He punches in the numbers, fingers wobbly and vision slightly blurred.  Within two rings, the older man picked up.

“H-hey Grandpa! Ummm... I wanted to talk to you about s-something. I need advice. M-my boss, L-Levi, h-he makes me feel nervous whenever I’m around! My heart always pounds and my stomach tightens when I’m around him.

He’s an asshole but then he’s not and it’s just… I don’t know. Sometimes he’s almost nice to me, but he’s not like that with his other co-workers. I mean, just this morning I ended up being a few minutes late and I thought he was going to murder me, but he didn’t do anything! He didn’t even seem that mad. I haven’t felt this way in such a long time.

But sometimes I wonder if he even likes me. I’m just… I don’t know if I should stay or request to transfer. I like being his assistant, I do! But I just don’t know what to do.” Eren slurred.

He waited for a response, but none came. Eren felt confused. He frowned. Why wasn’t Grandpa talking?

“H-hello? Grandpa? Are you there?”

“Don’t assume things, Eren.” A voice said.

Eren felt his heart drop into his stomach. That wasn’t Grandpa’s voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**Armin**

An obnoxious groan came from the pile of blankets on the bed as Armin stood over the lump, hands on his hips.

“Eren! Get up! You can’t stay hidden under your covers forever!” Armin whined, lazily tugging at the thick fabric.

“Watch me Ar. I’m completely humiliated, I’ll never show my face again. I must take on a disguise just to leave the house! I’ll dye my hair, grow a beard, and become a hermit!”

Armin huffed in irritation. Why now, of all times, does Eren have to act so childishly? He hated when Eren did this.

“Eren, I swear to fucking god-”

“Shut it, Ar. I am staying under this blanket!” Eren announced loudly. Armin huffed and stormed out of the room.

He went straight to Mikasa’s room and pounded on her door. Only a few seconds later, the expressionless girl opened the door and raised an eyebrow.

“Mika! Eren won’t get up! Drag his ass out of bed for me.”

“Alright.”

She stalked towards the room and opened the door harshly, causing Eren to startle and let out a high pitched squeal. He glared at her as she ripped the covers from the bed.

“Eren, get up or I’ll make you.” Mikasa threatened. Eren just glared at her and she sent the glare right back at him.

Armin watched as the two people he cared most deeply about were nearly ready to strangle each other. After what seemed like forever, Eren broke the eye contact and heavily sighed.

“Eren, do you mind telling me why you refuse to go so adamantly?” She asked. Eren shook his head and laid back down, arm over his face.

Mikasa sighed and left. Armin watched curiously and decided to follow her. She soon led him into the kitchen, where she grabbed a cup from the cupboard and filled it with cold water. She then walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a handful of ice to add to the water.

“Mika what-?” Armin began but got cut off.

“You’ll see.” She said quietly. 

Mikasa stormed back to Eren and Armin’s room, and then turned to Armin.

“Pull out your phone and record this. I want this as proof of what happens when Eren refuses to listen to me.” She told Armin, then stood next to the bed. “Last chance Eren, get up and tell me why you don’t want to go to work today, or suffer the consequences. Your pick.”

Eren grunted and obstinately pulled the covers back onto himself. Mikasa gave a mischievous smirk to the camera and turned to Eren.

“Alright, you asked for it.” She warned. Eren only grunted in response.

 

**_SPLASH_ **

 

Eren shrieked and fell out of bed. Armin busted out laughing and handed his phone to Mikasa.

“What the hell Mikasa! Stop laughing at me, Armin!.” She held Armin’s phone up to Eren’s face, capturing every detail.

Armin continued laughing but bolted for the door once Eren shot out of bed after him.

“Dammit Armin! I’m going to kill you!”

“But I’m not the one who splashed you with cold water!”

“No, but you’re the one who went and got her!”

Armin laughed but ended up tripping over his feet, giving Eren the chance to tackle him to the ground. Eren pinned Armin’s hands to his sided, a victorious grin on his face.

“Let me go, Eren!”

“Not until you leave me alone so I can sulk in peace.” Eren said, almost snarling. Mikasa sighed and turned off the camera.

“If you’re that humiliated, then switch spots with me. I don’t mind being that demanding midget's assistant again.” Mikasa said, her arms crossed over her chest. Eren looked up at her, somewhat surprised about her offer. He stood and helped Armin to his feet.

“Thank you, Mika! I’m still mad at you for dumping cold water on me though.” Eren pouted. Mikasa wrapped her arms around him and laughed.

“You didn’t listen.” She simply said.

“Mikasa, you're driving.” Armin stated, changing the topic to the matter at hand. Mikasa nodded and turned to Eren.

“Go get dressed. And hurry.” She ordered, waving him off with her hands. 

“Fine.” He walked back to the bedroom and shut the door.

Mikasa grabbed the keys from the table and walked towards the door.  Armin sat down on the couch waiting for Eren.

As he waited, Armin pulled his phone out and scrolled through his messages.

**1:27 A.M.**

**Hanji: ARMIN! ARE YOU THERE???**

 

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He quickly read through the crazy woman’s texts, smiling lightly.

 

**1:39 A.M**

**Hanji: Did I scare you away? How’s being Erwin’s assistant?**

 

**2:12 A.M.**

**Hanji: Did I ever mention you are Erwin’s type? He has a thing for blondes.**

 

**2:41 A.M.**

**Hanji: ARMIN!!!! ARE YOU AND ERWIN DOING THE DO YET????**

 

Well, Armin hadn’t expected that.

He felt his face heat up. He doubted he was  _ really  _ Erwin’s type. That man was in another league. Did he really have a chance with Erwin?  _ What the hell am I thinking? Of course I don’t! He’s the hot CEO of a multi-million dollar business, and I’m just an assistant.  _

The chance of Armin actually scoring with Erwin was similar to that of winning the lottery. Armin got up and made his way to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. His hair made him look like a girl and his facial features looked far younger than a twenty-one year old. He examined his clothing and frowned. 

_ When did I get so self conscious?  _ He thought to himself.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Eren stated as he walked out of their room. Armin nodded.

Today was his last day of being Erwin’s assistant. Armin frowned at the thought. He really liked being Erwin’s assistant, and not just because he was attractive. He liked it even better than being Hanji’s assistant, if he was being honest. He didn’t mind Hanji of course, she just tended to startle him with her strange antics a lot.

As they continued walking, Eren poked Armin’s cheek. Armin cocked an eyebrow. “What?” He asked, already suspicious of Eren smirk.

“You have a thing for Commander Eyebrows don’t you?” Armin felt his entire face flush.

“W-wha-? W-here the hell did you g-get that idea?!” Armin squeaked.

“Ar, your whole face is bright red. I can see it every time you look or talk about him. And frankly, I can totally see him bending you over his desk and-” Armin gasped and smacked Eren’s arm.

“S-shut up! I don’t have a thing for him.” Eren gave him a doubtful look.

“Look me in the eye and tell me that you’re not depressed because you want to continue being his assistant. Seriously, it’s only a matter of time.” Eren said, giving Armin a sideways look. Armin scoffed and shook his head. 

_ “I don’t think he’s into me.”  _ Armin said softly as he slid into the backseat and stared out the window.

Once they got there. Armin immediately hopped out and walked towards the front door. He noticed a tall man with jet black hair and his eyes widened.

_ “Bert…”  _ He whispered. The tall man turned to see Armin and gasped softly.

“Armin…?” He said out loud.

Armin fell into a sprint, ignoring the questionable looks he was getting, and leapt into the taller man’s waiting arms. Bert laughed and wrapped his arms around Armin’s small frame.

“Bert! I missed you! I haven’t seen you since high school!”

“Haha, it’s nice to see you’re still as energetic as ever, Armin.” Bert said, smiling down at the blonde.

“What position do you work here?” Armin asked.

“Oh, I’m  Mike Zacharius’ assistant. But between you and me...” He bent over to Armin’s ear and whispered. “ ..He’s fucking scary. Scarier than Hanji.” Armin laughed and gave him a look.

“I wanna see you try being his assistant for a day without going insane! He's always sniffing people, and giving me weird looks, and he just pops out of nowhere. He’s taller than me, so you can imagine how scary that can be!” Bert exclaimed. Armin threw his head back and laughed deeply.

“Let’s catch up, Bert! Today at lunch! I don’t mind ditching Eren.” Armin said, bright grin dropping when Bert began to look alarmed.

“Wait, Eren works here? Shit.” He muttered. Armin raised an eyebrow. Bert’s eyes widened when he realized how that may have sounded.

“No I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, remember Reiner?” He asked. Armin nodded.

The blonde jock who was always hitting on Eren? How could he forget? He used to have a massive thing for him.

“Yeah I remember him."

“He works here and I’m pretty sure he still has a thing for Eren.” Bert said sadly. Armin felt his heart clench.

It wasn’t hard to tell that Bert really liked the man, but Reiner was an airhead sometimes and hit on anything that moved. Suddenly, an idea hit Armin.

“I’m going to help you.” He said matter-of-factly. Bert looked confused.

“You will? But I don’t have a plan.” Armin shook his head.

“We’ll make him jealous. We’ll pretend we are interested in each other and dating. When he realizes that you’re no longer available, he’ll see what he’s missing out on. Then I’m sure he’ll come around.” Armin explained. Bert smiled.

“Knowing him, that actually might work! Thanks, Armin!” Bert hugged Armin and lifted him off his feet. Armin just giggled and hugged back.

“When do we start?” Bert asked.

“Today. In fact, where is Reiner?” Armin asked.

“He’s an assistant for Eld? I think his name was.” Armin smiled and grabbed Bert’s hand.

“Come on. Let's go rub our  _ relationship _ in Reiner’s face.” Bert smiled and Armin intertwined their fingers.

When they turned, Armin could see Erwin walking towards his office. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. What would Erwin think of his “relationship”? Would he feel disappointed?

“Armin, is something wrong?” Bert asked, breaking Armin from his thoughts. Armin shook his head and smiled at Bert.

“Nah, I’m fine. Let’s go find Reiner.” Bert nodded and the two began the walk towards the elevator, hand in hand.


	9. Chapter 9

**Eren**

_ Why does it seem like whenever you’re trying to avoid someone, they’re everywhere? I’m going to go insane at this rate.  _ Eren thought to himself as he hid behind the nearest corner he could find. His heart was pounding.  This was the fourth time today he’d almost accidentally ran into the reason for his sneaking around. A certain Levi Ackerman, specifically.

Eren ran a hand down his face. Each sighting of the man came with sweaty palms and a mini heart attack. That can’t be healthy, can it? Eren put his health concerns in the back of his mind for the time being, instead deciding to peek around the edge of the wall to see if the coast was finally clear. With no Levi in sight, Eren let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he leaned against the wall to take a deep breath. 

“Jaeger, what the hell are you doing?” Levi asked from the other side of Eren, glowering at him.

Eren nearly shit his pants. He whirled around with a loud shriek, smacking his back harshly to the wall behind him.

“S-sir! I was just… uhh…” Eren stuttered. Eventually, he decided to just stop talking altogether. He was only digging himself into a deeper hole.

After a moment of silence between the two, Eren brought his gaze up to Levi’s face. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Levi almost looked amused. 

“Why are you hiding?” Levi asked, a peculiar gleam in his eye. 

“H-hiding? I wasn’t hiding, Sir!” Eren felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Oh? Then why were you peeking around the corner like you didn’t want someone to see you?” Levi crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I… I… ummm…” Eren sighed in defeat. He knew coming back to work was a bad idea. 

“Just who are you hiding from? If you’re having problems with a co-worker, you’re welcome to speak up.” Levi said. 

_ There he goes acting like he cares about me again.  _

“Oh no! It's nothing, Sir. I’m perfectly fine!” Eren smiled as sincerely as possible. He just wanted this day to be over.

Levi scrutinized him for a long moment, clearly seeing through Eren’s attempts to reassure him. Eren felt like he was shrinking beneath Levi’s silvery gaze that seemed to look through him instead of at him.

“It’s me, isn’t it? The one you’re avoiding?” Levi asked, leaving no room for argument. Eren knew he’d been caught.

Though, he was somewhat surprised that Levi had figured it out so quickly. He thought he was being pretty discreet about it.

“…. Yeah…” Eren replied, looking away. He almost felt ashamed.

Levi sighed and looked at his watch, deciding to put off his work for a few minutes. There was obviously something bothering the boy, and Levi wanted to know what. 

“Eren, come with me. We need to talk this over.” He ordered. Eren felt his heart stop but followed regardless. 

Soon, the pair walked into Levi’s office. Levi took his spot at his desk and gestured to the chair closest to him.

“Eren, please explain to me what the issue is,” Levi said. All of his attention was focused on the brunette. 

Eren was silent for a second, thinking over the best way to go about this. He didn’t really want to die today.

“I-it’s the things I had said over the phone, Sir, when I accidentally dialed you instead of my Grandfather. I made a pretty big ass out of myself, and was really embarrassed about it…” He took a deep breath. 

“The truth is, I find you very intimidating. You hold this air of control all the time that I find myself almost having to tip-toe around. But then you’re almost kind to me, giving me chances that you wouldn’t have even thought about had I been someone else. I just don’t know how to comprehend it all.” 

By now, Eren was bright red, never being that good at expressing himself in this manner. 

“Plus, calling your boss an asshole isn’t exactly the best way of getting on someone’s good side,” Eren added as an afterthought.

When Levi suddenly snorted at his comment, Eren though he was going to die right then and there. A snort was the last thing he’d expected from the man.

“You’re right, Eren. I know I put off a somewhat… intense aura. I look over a very large part of this company, I have to have the sort of personality that demands respect. What you said over the phone hadn’t bothered me at all. I know I’m an asshole. It's not hard to see. 

But if I’m being completely honest, I don’t know why I’ve been so lenient with you. Your skills as an assistant are mediocre at best, but you’re an extremely hard worker and you don’t do anything half-assed. I’d much rather have an assistant like you, than someone vise versa.” Levi explained. 

Eren just looked at him like a deer in the headlights. Levi rolled his eyes.

“Look, I like having you as my assistant. You’re refreshing to have around. So, if you’re comfortable with it, I’d like you to continue being my assistant.” Levi finished, leaving Eren to think about his words.

_ He likes having me as his assistant? _

Eren felt giddy, all of his previous concerns slipping from his brain. Slowly, his lips parted into a wide grin that seemed to light up the whole room. 

“Yes, Sir!” 

“Good. I’ll let Hanji know. Now, if you’d be so willing, go get me some coffee.” Levi said. Right as Eren turned to leave, he could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile on the older man’s face. 

~~~~

The rest of the day went on without a hitch. Eren found that he was able to fall back into place fairly quickly, but this time, a good portion of the pressure was lifted from his shoulders. 

Obviously, the thought of Levi still made Eren’s stomach flutter, but Eren felt much more comfortable around the man now. This had to be one of the better days out of his time here so far. 

Soon, the day was over and Eren began collecting his stuff. Before he headed out, Eren stopped by Levi’s office to say his farewells, who was also getting ready to leave.

“Goodbye, Sir. Have a wonderful night.” Eren offered politely. Levi slipped a stack of papers into his desk and stood. With a nod, he grabbed his coat and slipped it on, before moving over to where Eren stood. 

“Goodnight, Eren. It’s good to have you back.” Levi said, a light curve to his lips. With that, Levi slid passed Eren and left.

Eren nodded and smiled to himself, much more enthusiastic about coming back now. He could feel the blush warming his face, but ignored it.

“It’s good to be here.” He thought to himself as he rode down the elevator. 

Soon, the trio met back up at the car. Both Armin and Mikasa could tell something was up with Eren, but it was Armin who spoke up.

“What’s got you all cheery? You look like you’re about to explode in your seat.” Armin asked, intrigued by Eren’s excessively happy behavior. 

“Nothing! Just in a good mood.” Eren replied. Armin gave him a knowing look but decided not to pry.

Mikasa is the one who initiated conversation this time.

“So, I’ve been transferred back to Hanji again. Does that mean you’re assisting Levi then, Eren? What happened to all of your embarrassment?” She glanced at him as she drove.

“Well… um… he caught me… hiding from him and we ended up talking some stuff through.” Eren explained as vaguely as he could. He didn’t really want to go into detail. 

“Wait, you were hiding from him?” Armin asked loudly.

“Yes, Ar. I was hiding from him…” Eren started but was interrupted by Armin.

“Why?!” 

Eren made some sputtering noises as he waved his hands around, trying to get his point across. “It’s not a big deal! Everything worked out, and I’ll be his assistant again.”

“Oh, so that’s what brought on this whole happy… thing.” Armin teased. “You like him, don’t you?”

“I do not! He's just kinda nice to be around once you get to know him a little.” Eren defended himself.

“I feel like you want to get to know him a lot more than just a little, Eren.” 

“You think so? Well you know, I could say the same thing about you and Eyebrows.” Eren countered, throwing Armin’s teasing right back at him. 

Armin blushed instantly. “S-shut up!”

Eren just snickered at the blonde.  _ Bulls-eye. _


	10. Chapter 10

Armin woke up to sunlight in his face and groaned in frustration, quickly turning his head away to shield his eyes from the bright light. He glanced at his clock, it was about ten minutes before he’d set his alarm to go off.

As Armin got up, he turned to see a sleeping Eren and sighed lightly. He strode over to the side of Eren’s bed, proceeding to firmly shake the brunette awake. Eren grunted irritably before sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m up! I’m up! Geez.” Eren whined, his voice gravely from sleep. Content, Armin moved to his closet, grabbing some clothes and then heading to the bathroom to shower.

Twenty minutes later, Armin came out of the bathroom dried off and dressed. Armin crossed the hall back to the bedroom to grab his beanie, only to find that Eren had rolled over and fallen back asleep. He grabbed a pillow and chucked it at the sleeping form, eliciting an annoyed groan from the other male. Armin smirked as an idea came to mind. He walked over to his desk and grabbed the camera from the drawer. He was going to use Mikasa’s method.

He turned the camera on and propped it up on the desk, facing towards Eren’s bed. He then went to the kitchen and grabbed a cup to fill with cold water. He added a handful of ice for good measure. With the cup in hand, he stalked towards their room, stopping right next to the slumbering Eren. Armin turned to wink at the camera.

“Eren, do you want to get up on your own, or shall I use Mikasa’s method to motivate you?”

“Don’t even think-” Eren began, poking his head out of the covers to glare at Armin, but he was cut off.

_**Splash** _

Eren shrieked and fell off the bed. If looks could kill, Armin would be dead a thousand times over.

“DAMMIT ARMIN! I’M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU!” Eren screeched, launching himself from the floor.

Armin laughed and sprinted towards to the door, a soaked Eren following behind. Armin rushed into the study and hid behind a book shelve. He tried to control his heavy breathing as best as he could, but slapped a hand over his mouth anyway when he heard Eren’s loud footsteps, just to be safe.

“Where are you, Armin? I need to know so I can destroy you!” He growled.

As soon as Eren passed the bookshelf he was hiding behind, Armin bolted towards their room and locked the door behind him. He wouldn’t be safe for long, since Eren had a key, but at least he had time to prepare for his demise. He turned to the camera and gave a panicked look, jumping at the loud pounding at the door.

“Armin! Let me in! Accept your fate!”

“If I die here, I’d just like to say that… Jean, you’re a bastard and I hope you rot in hell. Krista, you are such a sweet person, I hope you get everything sorted out with Ymir, you deserve happiness. Bert, I’m leaving all my belonging to you. Grandpa, I love you and Mikasa, if you get this, show everyone this video and tell Erwin that I enjoyed working for him, he’s such a good boss.” He said into the camera, blushing at the last part.

The door then flew opened, banging against the wall harshly. Armin screamed as he got tackled to the ground, accidently knocking the camera over in the process. Eren gave him a victorious smirk and Armin pouted.

“Eren! Please don’t kill me!” Armin begged.

Eren threw his head back and let out a heinous cackle. “You’ve doomed yourself, Armin. Now feel my wrath!” Eren shrieked, assaulting Armin with mass amounts of tickling. Armin screeched loudly, overcome with laughter. He tried his hardest to wriggle out of Eren’s clasp, but failed and gave up, accepting his fate.

“Okay, okay! Uncle!” Armin said between giggles.

“Serves you right!” Eren chucked as he stood, offering Armin a hand up.

“You better watch out, Ar. Karma’s a bitch.” Eren said, hand on his hip. Armin laughed and picked up the camera from the ground. He frowned at the crack on the lens.

“Eren! You broke my camera.”

“Ahh, what did I tell you about Karma?” Eren chorkled. Armin glared at him.

“Come on Ar, I’m sorry.” Eren said, still chuckling lightly.

“If you’re really sorry, then buy me a new camera.” Armin retorted.

“But I’m broke.”

“Allvarligt Eren! Bara använda din lön!” _(“Seriously Eren! Just use your paycheck!”)_

“Armin, if you talk in Swedish, then I’m speaking German.”

Armin sighed in frustration. “Oh för Guds skull!”  _(“Oh for god sakes!”)_

“Armin, stoppen ernsthaft auf Schwedisch sprechen!”  _(“Armin, seriously stop speaking in Swedish.”)_

“Obs tills du köpa mig en ny kamera.” _(“Not until you buy me a new camera.”)_

“Alright! Fine! I’ll buy you a new camera! Just stop speaking in Swedish!” Armin smiled victoriously and stuck his tongue out to Eren.

Eren rolled his eyes and smirked.  
“Yeah, whatever. I’m gonna go get dressed.”

Armin nodded and grabbed a pair of socks from his wardrobe, put them on, and slipped on his black converse afterwards. He adjusted the black beanie on his head and looked at his phone, disinterested. It could use a new look, he decided, so he replaced his previous case with a grey, Star Wars one. It seemed like a good time for Star Wars.

His phone rang in his hand and he raised his eyebrow at the unknown number. He had this weird thing against answering unknown numbers, but eventually just decided to just answer it anyway.

“Hello?” He said.

“Hey, Armin!” He heard Bert’s voice and let out a sigh of relief. 

“Hey, Bert!”

“I was wondering if I could pick you up to, you know, fool Reiner into thinking that I’m being a gentlemen to my boyfriend.” Bert joked.

Armin laughed. “Alright, I’ll ditch Eren and Mikasa.”

“Great! I’m right by your house!” Armin laughed once more.

“Alright, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Sounds great.”

“Eren! Drive Mikasa and yourself to work! I’m going with Bert!” He yelled.

“Fine! Later, Ar!”

“Wait, before I go. We should go out drinking tonight. You up for it?”

“Sure. But you’re holding my phone. I don’t ever want to drunk dial Levi again.” Eren made a face.

Armin laughed. “Alright. Later, Eren.”

“Bye!”

Armin stepped out and scanned the driveway. He noticed a familiar red car and walked towards it. The windows rolled down, revealing Bert’s smiling face.

“Hop in.”

Armin smiled and opened the passenger door to get in. As Bert drove off, Armin heard a familiar song on the radio. He smiled widely and turned it up, humming to the melody.

 _We started off incredible_  
 Connection undeniable  
 I swear I thought you were the one forever.

He sang the lyrics with a smile.

 _But your love was like a loaded gun_  
 You shot me down like everyone  
 'Cause everyone's replaceable  
 When you're just so incapable  
 Of getting past skin deep.

“You know this song?” Bert asked. Armin grinned and nodded.

“This is the song that got me over Jean.”

Bert raised an eyebrow. “You and Jean dated?” He asked.

“We did. We started dating the end of highschool. We broke up after two years of dating.”

“May I ask, why’d you guys break up?”

“Well, we broke up because he cheated on me with Marco.” Bert’s eyes widened.

“I’m-”

“Don’t apologize, it had nothing to do with you. You didn’t know.” He gave Bert a warm smile.

“Armin…”

“Bert, it’s alright. Really. I’m over it, just pay attention to the road.” Armin teased, Bert smiled and nodded.

“Armin, I really appreciate you helping me with Reiner. I do. Thank you.”

“Don’t even thank me! I love helping my friends out.”

“You’re the best Armin.” Armin gave Bert a genuine smile.

“Thanks Bert.”

 _Guess what, another game over I got burned, but you're the real loser_  
 I don't know why I've wasted my time with you  
 You're bad news, a history repeater  
 You can't trust a serial cheater You're good at hooking up but you suck at love.

Armin continued singing along to the song softly. He absolutely loved that song with all of his heart. It really had helped him get over Jean.

“You know, you have a really nice voice, Armin.” Bert commented.

Armin blushed at the compliment and shook his head. “Nah. You really want to hear some nice vocals, listen to Eren sing. Jean and Eren were amazing at singing together. Too bad they both despise each other.”

Bert laughed and parked the car. The two stepped out and took hold of each others hands.

“Come on. Let’s go fool that air head.” Armin laughed and lightly swung Bert’s hand.

As they walked, Armin glanced around, looking at the various people passing the two of them. One of which was Erwin, who seemed to be walking to his office. His aura was different from normal, holding an almost palpable tension. Armin felt his stomach drop.

Why does he seem so stressed out all of a sudden?

“Well, I have to get going. I’ll see you later Armin.” Bert said. Armin smiled and nodded.

He let go of Bert’s hand and watched him walk away. Armin took a deep breath and walked up to Erwin’s door. He softly knocked and listened to the vague ‘Come in.’ When he entered, Erwin was slumped over his paperwork, a hand massaging his temple.

He frowned and stood in front of Erwin’s desk. The man paid him little attention. Why did he seem so frustrated?

“Good morning, Sir. Can I help you with anything?” Armin asked politely. He treaded lightly, concerned about Erwin’s attitude.

“No. Please leave me to my work.” Erwin said, still not looking at the younger blonde. Armin flinched at his cold tone.

Armin turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he turned back to glance at the man. Armin wanted to say something, anything to figure out why such an easy-going man was in such a foul mood.

Erwin only then looked up to meet Armin’s gaze. His expression was blank, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Did you need something, Arlert?”

“I-I was just… no, Sir.” Armin felt the urge to apologize, though he didn’t know why. Why should he apologize for doing his job?

“Then why are you still here?” Erwin asked coldly, and Armin felt a jab to the heart. A wave of anger washed over him.

“Last time I checked, Sir, I was your assistant. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t assistants supposed to actually assist their bosses? Sorry for trying to do my job.” Armin said harshly.  
  
Armin glared at Erwin, eyes never leaving the others. Armin didn’t deserve Erwin’s attitude at all, and he wasn’t going to sit back and take it. Erwin’s eyes widened.

Armin had been working for Erwin for the past month and Erwin was never this cold to him. Why was today any different?

“Armin-”

“Don’t.” Armin cut him off. “I’ll leave you to your work now, just like you wanted. Have a nice day.” Armin said sarcastically.

He turned on his heel to leave, but something caught his wrist. When he turned back, all he could see was Erwin's blue eyes looking down at him. They were bright and intense, almost remorseful. Armin felt his face heat up at their proximity. A puff of warm air hit Armin’s face and Armin could smell the mint on Erwin’s breath.

He really shouldn’t like that smell as much as he did.

“Armin, wait. I know it isn't much of an excuse, but I've just been feeling really tired and stressed out lately. I had no right to take it out on you. I'm terribly sorry.” Erwin said, sincerely.

Armin felt his heart stop. Erwin was really apologizing to him? He couldn't find his voice. Instead of trying to find it, he stared into Erwin's blue eyes and released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

“I-It's alright, Sir. But for future reference, there are certainly better ways of relieving stress than taking it out on other people.” Armin quipped, quickly getting over the previous irritation.

“Oh? Care to elaborate on your method of relieving stress?” Erwin teased lightheadedly, chuckling at Armin’s inability to give a coherent response to the question.

In his defense, Armin really hadn’t meant it that way.

Erwin let go of Armin’s arm and moved to sit back down. He ruffled through a stack of papers, before handing a few to Armin.

“Now that that’s settled, could you run these to Jean Kirstein for me please? He's the assistant of Nile Dok.” Erwin asked. Armin's eyes widened.

“Something wrong, Armin?”

“No, it's nothing.” Armin   
flashed him a fake smile and grabbed the papers from Erwin.

“He's on the 5th floor and to the right.” Erwin guided, looking back to his work.

Armin nodded slowly and walked away. He looked blankly at the packet in his hands, trying his best to ignore the violent twisting in his gut.

_I think I’m going to vomit._


	11. Chapter 11

**Eren**

_ Eren let out a shuttered breath, lips forming words he couldn’t recognize. _

_ His skin felt like it was on fire. Every inch tingled from the newly established sensations. His vision was hazy and unfocused, eyes only seeing small details. _

_ Waves of coiled muscle that rippled with slow movement, smooth porcelain skin and hair as dark as onyx. Eren could feel his hands running up his thighs, spreading them apart to settle between them. His own hands found their way onto the others shoulders as Eren pulled him closer. Soft lips latched onto his neck and Eren let out a gasp. Eren’s head was spinning, clouded with lust and eyes as sharp as steel. His mouth moved, suckling and biting against Eren’s shoulder, up his neck and to his jaw. His hands wandered Eren’s body.  _

_ Blunt nails were gently trailed down Eren’s bare chest, eliciting a breathy moan from his lips. His skin prickled itself with goosebumps. _

_ Eren could feel him pressed between his thighs, hard and incredibly hot. Miniscule gyrations of the other man’s hips sent chills up Eren’s spine. Eren lifted his own up into him, looking for more of that delicious friction. _

_ The man growled against his neck, breath fanning out across Eren's sensitive skin. An explosion of heat erupted in his gut, leaving Eren speechless as the dark-haired man whispered Eren’s name into his ear. _

_ "…Eren." His voice was deep and husky, and far too familiar.  _

_ Eren could feel himself shaking. _

_ "Eren." He said again, but louder this time. _

_ The shaking worsened, becoming more of a harsh jerking. Eren felt his head roll forward and the man's voice seemed to change. _

"Eren! Wake the fuck up!"

Eren’s eyes popped open, breath labored and heavy. 

_ Was it a dream?  _

His eyes focused on Armin, who was standing over his bed with an equally concerned and irritated expression. If that’s even possible. Eren brought his hand up to rub his face and glare at the blonde. 

"Jesus Christ, Eren. I thought you were having a nightmare or something. You kept moaning and groaning, and you were squirming all over your bed." Armin explained.

Eren thought back to the dream. That definitely hadn’t been a nightmare. 

"I’m fine, Armin." He said, moving to pull the blanket from his lap. Only then did a certain… _problem_ … bring itself to his attention. 

Eren groaned inwardly at the intense aching in his shorts. He quickly pulled the blanket back onto his lap, hiding the large bulge. 

_ What the fuck? _

Armin gave him a strange look but didn't say anything, just shakes his head and leaves, leaving Eren to himself. 

He quickly hopped out of bed and awkwardly waddled to the bathroom, covering his erection with his hands. There was no way he was going to rub one out in the bedroom, with the chance of Armin walking in at any moment. Or even worse, Mikasa. Eren doubted it would go away on its own, so he elected to take care of it in the shower. 

As Eren reveled in the feeling of the hot water pouring down his shoulders, he allows the dream to drift back into his head. 

While the identity of the other person in his dream wasn’t completely clear; his eyes never stayed in one place long enough to see who it really was, Eren knew exactly who it was. He really hated how much that turned him on. 

_ I just had a wet dream about my boss.  _

It really shouldn’t have felt as right as it did, Levi is his boss after all. Eren’s pretty sure that could be considered sexual harassment. Or maybe not, he doesn’t know. Eren supposed he was just looking for reasons why this was wrong, and while he could think of quite a few, the aching in his gut had grown to be too much of a distraction to allow those reasons to deter him from doing what he was about to do. 

So, with a vision of silky black hair and silvery eyes, Eren slid his hand down to take hold of himself. 

Eren hissed softly at the sensation, because he’s just so hard, beads of precum leaking from the tip. He thought about Levi’s hands on him, touching him everywhere with fingertips that send electric shocks through his body. Levi’s voice, low and sultry as he spoke the most vulgar of things to him.  

He imagined Levi taking him from behind, stretching him to an almost excruciating width before hitting that spot inside the brunette that fills his body with ecstasy. 

Eren let his body lean against the shower wall, his legs beginning to tremble. His head fell back, mouth slightly open in a silent moan. 

That coil in his stomach was tightening rapidly, making him pant out at the anticipation. His climax came quickly, and Eren had to hold onto the shower niche to keep from falling to his knees as he releases into his hand. 

He took a few deep breaths and rinsed away the evidence. 

_ What the fuck is wrong with me?  _

**xXx**

The rest of the shower is filled with self-deprecation and the pleasant smell of Eren’s shampoo. He tried to hide the flush on his cheeks as he exited the bathroom. Eren didn’t want anyone to know, nor did he even want think about, what just took place. 

But at least he’s off today, so he doesn’t have to come face to face with the apparent subject of his desire yet. 

It was about eleven when Eren finally finished getting himself ready for the day. He fixed himself the usual breakfast, slightly burnt toast and a cup of coffee, before plopping down on the couch next to Mikasa. 

Things between Mikasa and himself were kind of strange, in the way that she’s more of a mom to him than a sister, even though she's the same age as him. She can be really overbearing at times, but Eren knew she does it because she cares about him, so he tries to not let it bother him. 

"How’s working with Hanji going?" Eren asked, breaking the comfortable silence. She turned and gave him a look that told him everything he needed to know.

"She’s crazy, I’m sure of it but other than that it’s fine." She replied, crossing one leg over the other. 

"So I’ve heard, but I wouldn’t know firsthand. Glad it’s going well for you, though." She nodded and turned toward him. 

"What about you? You seemed so adamant about not being his assistant and now it’s almost like you're enjoying it. You kind of did a one-eighty there, Eren."

He thought about it for a second.  _ Do I enjoy it?  _

Eren knew the answer immediately. After the talk they had, things fell into a comfortable routine, one that Eren had no problem with following. He doesn't find himself dreading the days anymore, so yeah, maybe he does.  

Now, though, he doesn't know how he's going to be able to look Levi in the eye, after this morning. 

"It's fine, Mika. I got it all sorted out." He said vaguely, and Mikasa gave him a look.

"He didn’t threaten you did he?" She said suspiciously. Eren gave her an incredulous look. 

"No, no, no. Nothing like that. I was just being stupid, he noticed something was up and we talked about it." Eren explained, quickly growing tired of talking about it. Talking about him. Eren just wanted to forget all about Levi for as long as he could before he'd have to face him. 

Though, he has no clue what he's going to do once he gets to that point.  

Eren shook his head and tried to ignore his problems the best he could like he does with everything else. Mikasa be engrossed in whatever’s on TV. 

"We’re still going out to the club tonight, correct?" Eren asked Mikasa. They were supposed to go earlier in the week, but Mikasa wasn’t able to make it, having to stay after work to help Hanji with something. But now that it’s the weekend, the group had the time to do as they pleased. 

Eren really wanted to get shit-faced drunk. 

"Yeah." She replied, not bothering to look away from the TV. 

"Who all is going?” Eren asked, wondering if the whole group was going or just the three of them. 

"Just the three of us, as far as I know. Though Armin was thinking about inviting Berthold." Mikasa explained. 

Eren nodded and looked at the TV, examining whatever show was playing on the large, flat screen. It seemed to be some sort of police melodrama, some masked-murderer running around chopping people’s heads off.  Mikasa always did like those types of shows. 

Eren watched absentmindedly but never paid much attention to the actual story. His mind was too caught up with thoughts of tonight’s shenanigans. He wasn’t much of a partier, really. He found the large masses of drunk, sweaty people found at parties to be rather irritating. However, to say he wasn’t looking forward to tonight would be a lie. The thought of alcohol in his system was making him look forward to it even more. Eren wanted to drink until he forgot all of those problems nagging at him. 

And that’s exactly what he was going to do, hangover be damned. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so so so sorry for being late we're just crazy busy but here's the chapter and enjoy!

About an hour before the three of them planned on heading to the club, Eren decided that he wanted to change his clothing. The t-shirt and jeans just didn’t seem fancy enough for a club, so he headed up to his room to find something better suited to wear. 

He picked out a shirt and a nice jacket, as well as his key necklace. He didn’t wear it as much as he wanted to, but he did really like it. 

He didn’t know what pants to wear, however. Jeans, he had already deemed unfit for the occasion and he wasn’t about to wear his work pants. This was a club, not an office party. 

He grazed his fingers over a certain pair at the back of his closet. He’s only worn them a handful of times, they weren’t exactly fit for everyday wear. At least conventionally speaking. 

Deciding that tonight was a good night to bring them back out, he pulled them from their shelf and moved to tug them on. They were jet black and skin-tight, leather material highlighted the subtle curves of his ass and thighs. 

They never failed to bring out a sense of confidence in Eren, more so than normal. They made him feel powerful. 

He ran his hands over the slick fabric, humming appreciatively. After he finished dressing, he moved to the bathroom to mess with his hair. 

There really wasn’t too much he could do with it. It was unruly and unmanageable, but he quite liked the look it gave him. He massaged some balm between his fingers before threading them into his hair, piecing it out and giving it an even messier look. 

Once satisfied, Eren made his way back down to the living room. Armin and Mikasa were slipping on their jackets when they turned to look at him. Eren smirked at their reactions to his appearance. Armin’s eyes were as big as dinner plates and Mikasa's face was adopting a soft blush. 

“Holy shit, Eren. Leather? Damn, you’re gonna have to watch out tonight. There’s gonna be a lot of people drooling for a piece of that.” Armin teased. 

“Oh my god, shut up. No there’s not.” Eren croaked. Armin sent his friend a wink and Eren just rolled his eyes. 

“Everybody is going to be meeting us there. Though, Bert said he might be a few minutes late.” Armin finished tugging on his coat and the three of them headed out to the car. 

“Okay, that’s fine,” Eren replied, sliding into the passenger seat. 

On the way to the club, the three of them rocked out in the car to some Galantis, getting ready for the excitement of the upcoming night. 

The trip was short, and soon they were navigating through the crowd inside the dimly lit club, music loud and upbeat. They headed to an empty table near the bar, and Armin and Eren moved to get some drinks, Mikasa adopting the position of designated driver again. 

Their friends trickled in over the next few minutes. Sasha and Isabelle arrived at the same time, chatting about something Eren didn’t particularly care about. 

Berthold and Reiner arrived a few moments later, scanning the place for their friends. Tagging along with them was a petite blonde with an unimpressed look on her face. Eren waved them over. 

“This is Annie, guys. I invited her to come along, I hope that’s okay.” Berthold said, gesturing to the woman beside him with a sheepish smile. 

“Yeah, totally! Welcome aboard, Annie!” Armin greeted brightly. Annie replied with a glare.

Well isn’t she just a bundle of sunshine. 

Mikasa made a strange sound and Eren turned to see what the problem was. Mikasa was quite obviously glaring at the short blonde, though Eren didn’t see the need to figure out why. It was quite common to find Mikasa glaring at people. 

Within the first few minutes, Eren had already finished his first drink, then he was on to the next. The night blurred together like that, laughter, drinking, and overall merrymaking. Eren ended up getting hit on by at least four different people. He ignored Armin’s smirking to the best of his ability. 

About halfway through the night, Eren started feeling the weirdest thing, like someone was watching him. He just figured it was the alcohol until he heard Armin gasp across from him. 

“No fucking way…” Armin said. Eyes locked onto something over Eren’s shoulder. 

“W-what?” Eren asked nervously before glancing towards whatever had caught the blonde's attention. 

There, across the club, sitting at a table in a far corner was Levi, Hanji, and Erwin on either side of him. Eren felt his face pale, all the blood draining from it in a rush. 

Eren could vaguely hear the murmurs of his friends as they all turned to look at the subject of the commotion, but he paid no attention to it. All the could think about was the dream, and the sultry rasp to Levi’s voice as he spoke to him. Eren felt the blood come back, leaving his face red and hot. He wouldn’t be surprised if it suddenly burst into flames at this point. 

Of course, the place where he least expects to see his boss, fate decides to be a giant asshole and force them together. 

Figures. 

Honestly, had it not been for the alcohol in his system that was clouding his judgment, Eren would have been booking it for the exit by now. But like the stubborn little shit that he was, Eren just puffed out his chest and tried to ignore the feeling of sharp slate eyes burning into the back of his head. 

This situation wasn’t at all like the last one, this was so much worse. There is no “talking it through” with this one. How does one even confess to someone something like that?

“Good morning, Sir. Here’s your coffee. And oh, by the way, last night I dreamt of you fucking me into my mattress. Just thought you should know.”

Fuck that. To answer that question; you don’t. You don’t tell someone about shit like that. You lock it away into the farthest reaches of your mind to never be heard from or seen again. Ever. 

Eren threw back the last of his drink, letting the burn of the alcohol distract him from the burning on his face. He let out a defeated sigh.

There wasn’t really much he could do at this point. Come Monday morning, Eren would just have to suck it up and get on with his life, even if every time his eyes met the others man’s, Eren felt the need to douse himself with ice water. He was a big boy, he’d get over it. Or at least he hoped he would. 

However, until then, Eren would ignore all thoughts of work and his gorgeous boss. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do while enjoying time off anyway? Forget about all your responsibilities for a while before having to go back to it all. 

His friends didn’t seem to understand that though, as they were now chatting leisurely about their jobs. 

Sasha mentioned something about the size of Erwin's eyebrows suggesting the size of other parts of him, to which Armin let out a strangled whine, blushing furiously. 

Eren snickered loudly, knowing that Sasha had said that just to fluster their blonde friend. His infatuation with Erwin wasn’t exactly unknown at this point. Armin sent him a heated glare, jutting out his bottom lip in a way that took any viciousness out of his expression. Not that there was much there anyway. 

Eren was surprised, however, to see Armin’s betrayed expression quickly morphing into a mischievous grin. 

“I wonder, Eren. What about Levi? He is pretty short after all, I wonder if he makes up for it in other ways.” Armin wiggled his eyebrows at his friend. 

Eren groaned obnoxiously. “Oh my God. Don’t even start, Ar. I don’t wanna hear it.” 

Eren hoped that would have been the end of that, he really did, but obviously, the world wasn’t so kind. Sasha seemed to pick up on Eren’s embarrassment and decided to join in on torturing Eren. 

“You know, I heard the man’s a beast in the sack. Apparently, the only small thing about him is his height.” Sasha said, grinning as well. 

Eren slammed his head down onto the table. “Okay, fuck you guys.” He said through a mortified chuckle. “I swear.”

The whole table was giggling now, even Mikasa, the traitor. Eren stood from his seat and rubbed at his temple.

“I’m going to the bar for another drink. I need a few minutes away from you assholes.” Eren shook his head as he spoke, his insult more lighthearted than angry. He did love his friends, even if they were a pain in the ass sometimes. 

Eren made his way to the bar, sliding up onto one of the tall bar stools lined up there. The bartender nodded at him as he finished a drink for another customer before coming over to take Eren’s order. 

“What can I get you?”

Eren ordered himself the stiffest drink he could think of and thanked the bartender as he slid the glass over to him. Eren relished in the warm burn as the drink slid down his throat. It both cleared his head and fogged it back up all at once. He could feel the effects of the alcohol already, both from his previous drinks and the one he’s having now. Eren wasn't exactly a lightweight when it came to alcohol, but he didn’t have the strongest tolerance to the substance. 

Eren let his mind drift off on its own, and thoughts of the night filled his head. He really was lucky to have such great friends. When he was younger, after what had happened, he’d had such a bad temper that no one could stand to be around him for long, except Armin and Mikasa of course. He’d grown up a lot since then, he has a steady job, good relationships and a good head on his shoulders. It really felt like maybe things were finally going right for him. Aside from the whole “having wet dreams about your boss” thing.

Eren took another swig of his drink and glanced around. Almost as if on their own, his eyes glanced back towards a particular corner where three familiar figures sat. Hanji was laughing wide-mouthed at something Erwin was saying, a small smile on the blonde's face. Levi, on the other hand, was simply staring disinterestedly down at his drink, his left hand stirring it absentmindedly. 

The light hanging from the ceiling above them really highlighted the man’s features in a beautiful way. It brought out the slick shine of his dark hair and laid shadows in the contours of his face, accentuating the man’s angular facial structure. Just when Eren doubted he could get any more gorgeous, Levi proved him wrong with simply some shitty lighting. Though the alcohol could have something to do with that, but Eren doubted it. 

Suddenly, as if being called, Levi’s eyes met Eren’s, sharp steel mixing with vibrant green-blue. Eren felt his heart speed up at being caught staring. He couldn’t avert his eyes, no matter how much he wanted to. Levi had ensnared him in his gaze, and he knew it. The way Levi was looking at him send chills down Eren’s spine. 

Hungry

Eren could be wrong, but he could have sworn he saw Levi’s eyes rake down his body, appreciating his appearance. Though, Eren couldn’t be sure of anything at this point. 

Just when Eren didn’t think he could take anymore, a deep voice to his right broke his attention from Levi. Eren would have felt thankful if it wasn’t for the fact that his savior was now eyeing him like a piece of meat. Eren found himself groaning inwardly. 

“Hey there.” The man greeted smoothly, despite the slight alcohol-induced slurring of his voice. 

Soft looking blonde hair framed the man’s face nicely, brown eyes pinning him to the seat. He was attractive, but only averagely so. He kind of looked like a douche bag if Eren was being honest. He really didn’t have much interest in the guy.

He nodded slightly before turning away, hoping the other would get the hint. As always, he wasn’t so lucky. 

“Are you here all by yourself?” He asked, leaning closer. Eren gave him a look before he sighed and answering his question. 

“No, my friends are here too.” Eren motioned back towards the group. 

“Then what are you doing over here all alone?” The man pressed further, voice deep and husky. He probably thought he was sexy as hell right now. He couldn’t even hold a candle to Levi, honestly, Eren thought before slapping himself inwardly. 

Eren just glared at him, getting tired of him already. The man just waved his hands. 

“Anyway, could I buy you a drink?” He asked.

“No, thank you.” Eren dismissed quickly. 

“Awe, c’mon baby. Just one?” 

Eren felt his eye twitch. “I said no.”

The man grumbled but didn’t leave, much to Eren’s disdain. He simply furrowed his brows and thought about his next plan of action.

When the man suddenly hooded his eyes and smirked seductively at him, Eren watched him cautiously. The guy was really starting to bug him.

“You know, you’ve got some of the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen. I feel like I could get lost in them.” He said, walking his fingers up Eren’s thigh.

“Is that so? Why don’t you do that then? Hmm?” Eren sneered at him.

“Do what, baby?” The man asked, thinking he’d won.

“Get lost.” Eren deadpanned before grabbing him by the wrist and pulling the man’s hand from his thigh. 

“Oh, don’t be like that. You know I’d show you a good time.” 

“I’m not interested. Thanks. Now please leave me alone.” Eren grunted, irritated. 

“I'd be the best you’ve ever had. I can promise you that.” The man continued, whispering in Eren’s ear. 

Eren pushed him away harshly when he felt his hand on his thigh again and a face in his neck. 

“Don’t fucking touch me. I said no.” Eren said loudly.

“Oh don’t pretend you don’t want it. I bet you’d beg for…” The man sneered but was cut off by another voice Eren hadn’t expected to hear. 

Eren turned to look at Levi, who now had an arm wrapped possessively  around Eren’s shoulder.  

“Hey, dickbag, I think he asked you to leave.” 

Eren couldn’t think at that particular moment. 

The man eyed Levi viciously. Levi glared right back. 

“This your boyfriend or something? Isn’t he a little small?” The man said sarcastically. 

“That’s really none of your business. Now, please leave, or I’ll make you.” Levi warned.

“What are you gonna do, pipsqueak? Hit me? I don’t think you could reach.” The man taunted back.

In the blink of an eye, Levi had let go of Eren grabbed the man by his collar, pulling him face to face. 

“Listen here you asshat. I don’t need height to beat the shit out of you, trust me. So if you’d like to leave here with all your limbs, I’d do it while you still can. Now, why don’t you go outside and play a nice game of hide and go fuck yourself.” Levi said before nearly throwing the guy to the floor. 

The guy quickly righted himself and smoothed his clothes out. He sends a glare to the pair as he left.

Eren was still in shock. 

Levi turned back to Eren and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, you okay? You look a little pale there.” 

Eren shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Levi as he slid into the barstool next to him. 

“I’m alright. Thanks. That guy just wouldn’t take the hint.”

“Don’t mention it. The guy was a grade-A douche bag. When I saw him giving you a hard time, I figured I’d lend you a hand.” Levi said, waving the bartender over to order himself a drink.

“I appreciate it,” Eren said sincerely, smiling warmly at the shorter man.

The bartender took Levi’s order and started making his drink. After he was finished he pointed to Eren’s nearly empty glass.

“Can I get you another, Sir?” The bartender asked politely. Eren nodded and let the man do his work. 

Levi made a sound as the full glass was slid to Eren, and Eren turned to give him a questioning look. 

“What?” Eren asked, bring the glass to his lips.

“Nothing, I just hadn’t taken you for a hard liquor kind of guy,” Levi admitted. 

Eren scoffed, slightly amused. “What kind of drinks would you have expected me to like then?” Eren asked, genuinely curious for Levi’s answer. 

Levi thought about it for a moment. “Honestly, something fruity or tropical. Something you’d drink on the beach.” 

“Why do you say that?”

For a moment, it seemed like Levi wasn’t going to answer. It was like he had something to say but didn’t know if he wanted to or not. 

He decided to say it anyway. “Because it looks like you’ve got the whole fucking ocean trapped in those eyes of yours.” He said simply, not looking at the brunet. 

Eren was at a loss for words. Was that a compliment? Eren couldn’t tell, but he definitely noticed the way his face heated up like a sauna. Eren turned to look at the man, a light dusting of rose across Levi's cheekbones. He contributed it to the alcohol. 

Levi seemed to recover quickly however, and was now moving on, which Eren was thankful for. 

“What about me? What drinks would you expect me to enjoy?” Levi asked, all trace of blush gone from his face. 

“Maybe a Manhattan or something. Something sophisticated.” Eren shrugged.

“Hmmm. Fair enough.” 

The conversation died down between them. The silence didn’t seem to bother Levi, but Eren felt jittery. He couldn’t even hold a conversation with the man. Eren usually didn’t have a problem with being outspoken but around Levi, he couldn’t even find the words. 

He wanted to say something, anything. Wanted to make the man laugh or smile, anything besides the usual mask of indifference he always wore. 

He glanced at Levi from the corner of his eye. The dark-haired man was taking a sip of his own drink, and Eren watched as his Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed. Eren suddenly felt thirsty but had no interest in the drink only a few inches from his hand. 

Levi looked over at him from the corner of his eye. “What?” He asked curiously. 

Eren gawked at being caught staring, he hadn’t realized he was being so obvious. 

Words wanted to come out, but he didn’t know what to say in reply to Levi’s inquiry. Eren would open his mouth to say something, but nothing would come to mind. He just ended up looking like a gaping fish. 

He could feel the mortification rising up in him as Levi’s expression grew more concerned by the second. Eren needed to do something, so he did the only thing he could think of. He glanced around the club, looking for anything that he could use to save himself from the ensuing awkwardness. 

He looked to the dance floor, and around the moving bodies on it. 

Eren blurted out the first thing that came to mind. 

“Do you want to dance?” 

The words were out without a second thought, and Eren immediately regretted it. He wanted nothing more than to take them back and melt away from existence. 

He’d half expected Levi to get pissed and tell him off, call him an idiot for such a preposterous suggestion. But Levi simply stared at him, reading his face, before throwing back the rest of his drink and announcing a loud “Fuck it.”  

Levi stood and stepped away from his stool, expecting Eren to follow him but stopped when he realized that Eren was still firmly planted in his seat. 

“You coming? It was your idea after all.” Levi asked, holding out his hand. 

Eren looked up into gray eyes, searching for anything that might give away the possibility of the whole thing being a joke. He can’t possibly want to dance with Eren. But Eren found no such thing there, just faint curiosity and an invitation. 

So, with a defeated sigh, Eren took the offered hand and let Levi lead him through the crowd of tightly packed, gyrating bodies.  

As the pair moved through, hands connected tightly, Eren could feel the music thumping up through the floors and vibrating his bones. Lights flashed all around them, illuminating bits of Levi’s back before switching positions and blanketing him in darkness. 

Suddenly, a pale hand was snaking its way around Eren waist, the other hand still entwined with his own. 

Eren let his grip on the other man’s hand release, instead placing his hand on Levi’s shoulder. 

He timidly stepped in a hair’s width closer, but it didn’t seem to be close enough for Levi as he rolled his eyes and pulled the taller man flush to him. 

“It’s not a high school dance, Brat.” Levi scoffed, but his eyes portrayed no harshness. Instead, they held a strange form of teasing that sent chills up Eren’s spine. It made him feel like teasing back.

“I guess that whole ‘face to face, leave some space’ policy doesn’t apply here, huh?” Eren smirked, slipping his arms around the shorter man’s shoulders. 

Levi simply snorted, amused with Eren’s poor attempt at flirting. “Moron.” He said, smiling the slightest bit and shaking his head.

The two let themselves be absorbed by the strong beat and the flashing lights, only focusing on each other as they moved together in time with the music. 

It felt like the world had slowed down around them, and all Eren could focus on was the man pressed up against his chest. He looked down onto Levi’s face, examining the soft pink across his cheekbones that was barely visible in the dim lighting. His eyes looked darker than usual and were slightly squinted and Levi looked back up at him. 

At the short proximity, Eren could feel the soft puffs of Levi’s breath ghosting over his face. Could smell the alcohol and a trace amount of mint. It intoxicated him in a way that had nothing to do with the alcohol. Eren wanted to lean in, see if maybe Levi tasted as good as he smelled. He quickly derailed that train of thought, however, and attributed his idiocy to the alcohol reeking havoc on his judgment. 

Eren needed to remember that this was his boss and that his fantasies were just that, fantasies that shouldn’t be acted upon. Sure, neither of them were working right now so the air of professionalism was diminished, but that didn’t mean Eren could throw caution to the wind and do something he might later regret, lest he wants sexual assault charges or worse. 

To Eren, the chances of any of his highly confusing feelings being reciprocated by the older man were similar to that of winning the lottery. He really didn’t know how to feel about that. 

“Relax kid, you look like you’re about to shit yourself. What are you thinking about so intensely?” 

The sound of Levi’s voice knocked Eren from his thoughts. He quickly smoothed out his features once he realized that his thinking had caused him to look something akin to constipated.

Eren let out a soft laugh. “Nothing. Just thinking about how strange the circumstances of how we got here are. When I first started working for you, I was almost sure that you hated my guts, yet here we are, dancing together at a nightclub so close that people might mistake us for lovers. Hell, you certainly played the part back there with that creep.” Eren played off, not about to tell the real topic of his thoughts. 

Levi seemed a little perturbed at first but quickly recovered. 

“Do you dislike it? The prospect of people mistaking us for lovers, I mean?” He asked, catching Eren off guard. Levi’s eyes showed no hint of emotion besides the default that he always held. 

Eren wanted nothing more than to deny any allocation of disliking the idea. It was quite the opposite actually. But he wasn’t sure how to express that without giving off the wrong impression. What if he answered wrong, or offended Levi and scared him away? Though, Eren did pride himself for being an honest man, even if the truth scared the shit out of him. 

“No, I can’t say I do,” Eren answered calmly. Levi’s eyes seemed to gleam at the confession, taking over Eren's face.

Eren suddenly felt a ball of nervousness building in his chest, his heart began to beat rapidly. What was that look? 

One of the hands at Eren’s waist seemed to drop slightly towards Eren’s hip. The other came up to trace over Eren’s chest, stopping just below his collarbones. Levi’s eyes flicked down to the lower half of Eren’s face and Eren found himself gulping nervously. Then, Levi’s hand began its journey again. It moved up farther, his fingertips grazed just over the side of Eren’s neck. Fingers hooked themselves into the dark hair behind Eren’s ear as Levi’s thumb came up even farther to stroke Eren’s jaw lightly. Eren felt goosebumps rise to his skin at the contact. 

“Good.” Was all Levi said. His eyes flicked back up to Eren’s, and suddenly Levi was moving, tilting his head up and slowly closing the space between them. Eren felt the breath catch in his throat, not believing what he was seeing. Was Levi going to…? 

Eren leaned forward, ready to meet Levi halfway. He gradually began to let his eyes close. He could feel the other man’s breath sweeping across his face. He was so close. 

“Oh! There you are, short stack! I was wondering where you’d ran off to!” A sudden, excited voice rung out, startling the pair. Eren jumped back in a rush, a deep blush creeping onto his cheeks. Levi turned to glare at the intruder. 

Hanji seemed to pick up on the sudden tension and her face lit up with a knowing smirk. 

“Oh, was I interrupting something?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Both Eren and Levi responded at the same time, Eren sputtering out a series of high-pitched ‘no’s and Levi answering with a firm ‘yes’ and venomous glare to go along with it.  The pair glanced at each other momentarily before returning their attention to the woman nearly vibrating with excitement. 

Eren suddenly felt dizzy, thoughts of the past events swimming violently around in his head. There was no way Levi could have honestly wanted to kiss him, even with all the evidence claiming the opposite. But if Hanji hadn’t shown up, would they really have done it? Eren felt mortified at the idea of sharing a sloppy drunken kiss with his boss spawned in the heat of the moment and then have Levi regret it when he’d sobered up again. 

Eren could see Levi and Hanji arguing about something through blurry vision, but couldn’t focus on what they were arguing about. It seemed like all the alcohol had finally gotten to Eren as he stumbled back slightly and felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

“Oh god…” he said with a gag as he slapped a hand over his mouth and frantically looked for a bathroom. He stumbled his way through the crowd of tightly packed bodies and towards the neon bathroom sign hung up on the wall. 

Eren could vaguely hear the sound of someone calling his name behind him, but he felt didn’t halt their trek, the desire to prevent any embarrassing messes much stronger than the curiosity to turn and address the person calling after him. 

Despite his clumsiness, Eren made it to the bathroom without issue and entered the first stall he could get to. He dropped to his knees and wretched violently, releasing the contents of his stomach into the (thankfully) clean toilet. His throat burned as if he was spitting up a fire, his eyes watering slightly. After he was done, he caught his breath to the best of his ability and wiped at his mouth with the back of his sleeve. 

Eren's vision suddenly darkened around the edges, and his body instinctively leaned against the stalls wall as he realized that he was about to pass out. All he noticed before he did so was the sound of the bathroom door suddenly bursting open and the click of heels heading in his direction. 

“Eren!”

He really needed to stop drinking so much.


End file.
